An extra brake light on the helmet seems like a sensible way to boost safety for motorcyclists – it shines directly into other road users' field of view and can alert them of a decelerating vehicle, even when the brakes have not been applied. The Cosmo Connected takes this one step further thanks to its ability to detect potential accidents and call for help.
Built in France by Parisian startup Cosmo Connected, this smart brake light isn't the only one in the market; only recently we covered the successful campaign of the Brake Free, which took the ingenious idea of autonomous brake lights (like BMW dynamic brake light, Stoptix and Vololight) and transformed it to a helmet add-on.
As far as the brake light function is concerned, the Cosmo Connected kit employs an accelerometer sensor to detect deceleration, regardless whether this results from actual braking action, downshifting, or simply closing the throttle. Whichever the case, 12 LED brake lights activate to alert following traffic that the bike in front of them is slowing down.
Contained in a weather proof shell made of polycarbonate and EPDM rubber (ethylene propylene diene monomer), it weight just 150 g (5.3 oz) and secures on the helmet magnetically via a plastic base plate that sticks in place with double-sided adhesive tape. The brake light can thus be easily fitted to different helmets, provided that each is equipped with a magnetic mount. This kind of attachment is also supposed to be safe in case of an accident, as the light assembly should detach from the helmet before it snags onto any surface abnormality that could serve as a pivot point.
Apart from its basic brake light function, it can also be set in a permanent or flashing mode, doubling as a hazard light when the rider travels or simply parks by the side of the road in poor visibility conditions.
The Cosmo Connected is powered by a 900 mAh Li-Ion rechargeable battery, which is said to be good for up to 8 hours of operation – although using it in continuous or hazard mode may reduce this time down to three hours.
The addition of a gyroscope assists the accelerometer in identifying possible accidents, in which case the device connects to a smartphone app via Bluetooth Low Energy and sends an emergency notification. The rider can list up to three contact persons, and also include any vital medical information that first responders should know (pre-existing conditions, medication, allergies etc).
By default the app notifies these contacts by email and SMS of the possible accident, detailed with GPS location data. When and where applicable, the app will also alert roadside emergency services, which will in turn call the rider for up to three minutes in order to clarify whether help is actually needed.
The Cosmo Connected is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, which has achieved more than 80 percent of its intended funding target with plenty of time remaining. Should everything go as planned (and it's always worth keeping in mind that crowd funding campaigns often don't) deliveries to early bird backers are planned for July, while it will be available in the market in September. It will be produced in white and three black color variants (shiny, satin and matte) retailing for US$129, while a silver edition will cost $162 and a high-end carbon fiber version will set you off $270.
Watch the following video presentation of the Cosmo Connected below.
Source: Cosmo Connected via Kickstarter