If you were a lowlife scumbag looking for someone to attack (bear with us here), you would likely avoid anyone who was wearing prominent front and rear video cameras. Well, that's exactly what the Urban Eyes vest brings to runners and other solo adventurers.
The 390-gram (0.9-lb) wearable device was invented five years ago by British entrepreneur Tony Rossiter, after his daughter told him about being followed by a man when she was out running. Fast-forward to 2025, and a new second-generation version of the product is now available for preorder.
The lightweight breathable base garment is fairly simple, featuring reflective piping, high-visibility colored panels, and an adjustable waistband. There's also a large zippered smartphone pocket over the stomach, along with two smaller zippered pockets on the shoulder straps.
What makes the Urban Eyes special is its two 2.5K/30fps front and rear wide-angle cameras. These are designed to visually stand out, as each one has a 60-mm (2.4-in)-wide bright white body which mounts inside a contrasting black eye-shaped receptacle. Additionally, a blue LED on each camera flashes as it's recording visuals and sound.
A compact wireless remote is used to start and stop recording on both cameras at the same time via a single button-press. That device can also be used to pause recording, and to take still photos as needed. Footage is recorded on SD cards in each camera, with one charge of the cameras' batteries reportedly being good for 90 minutes of runtime.
While there would definitely be some advantages to having the video automatically upload to the cloud via an app, as opposed to the existing self-contained recording system, Rossiter decided not to pursue that option.
"Many runners expressed a preference for a plug-and-play solution, as it provides greater flexibility," he tells us. "For instance, an app-based system might encounter network issues while they're out running, potentially disrupting their experience. In contrast, our current setup with the SD card and the newly introduced remote control allows users to maintain complete control over the vest."
It is true that potential attackers won't necessarily know whether or not the cameras are live-streaming to the internet. Additionally though, just the general idea of being recorded while approaching the wearer is intended to be the main deterrent.
The Urban Eyes vest can be preordered now via the company website in a choice of five panel colors, at a price of £150 (about US$204). It should ship in about eight weeks. The following video provides a demo of its features.
Source: Urban Eyes
