Bicycles

Brainy bike light knows when you're turning

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The G-Light tail light, which is also a brake light and a turn indicator
The G-Light tail light, which is also a brake light and a turn indicator
The G-Light remote can be used on or off the handlebars

We've already seen plenty of bicycle tail lights that double as brake lights and turn indicators, but the G-Light offers a handy extra feature – its turn indicator automatically switches off as soon as you've completed a turn, just like on a car.

Invented by Montreal-based entrepreneur Wayne Kendall, the waterproof G-Light can be set to over 100 preset flashing/pulsing/steady patterns (along with other colors besides red, where allowable) when being used as a straight-up tail light. The brightness ranges from 120 to 350 lumens, depending on the preset.

When you hit the brakes, its integrated three-axis accelerometer detects the sudden drop in speed, and responds by temporarily brightening all seven LEDs … not unlike most other bike brake lights.

The G-Light remote can be used on or off the handlebars

If you go for the optional handlebar remote, it can be used to wirelessly activate the G-Light's left- or right-hand turn indicators. On other systems, such indicators either go off once a given amount of time has elapsed (meaning they could stay on for a while after the turn is completed), or they have to be switched off manually. In the G-Light, however, a compass detects when the bike enters and then subsequently exits a 90-degree turn, automatically turning the indicator off when the turn is over.

The remote quickly pops on and off of a magnetic mount, and can also be hand-held by users of electric skateboards, who are another target market for the G-Light. Battery life for the light sits at a claimed 40 hours per USB-charge of its 1,000-mAh lithium-polymer battery.

Kendall has turned to Kickstarter to finance production, where a pledge of CAD$74 (about US$57) will get you a tail light with a remote if all goes according to plan – the retail price for that combo will be CAD$99.99 (US$77). Remote-less G-Lights are also available for less, although users won't be able to utilize the turn indicator feature.

Source: Kickstarter

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1 comment
aaron59
This sounds amazing.