8:45a
Brake Free
- Available at: Indiegogo.com
- Price: $119 (U.S.)
There is a carefree tingling feeling that leather-clad motorcyclists typically get when they feel the rush of passing scenery as they float down the highway. It's certainly not like the dull tingling an auto driver feels as he notices a motorcycle suddenly looming in front of him, previously unseen in the bright sun or unnoticed because of inattention behind the wheel. A big orange safety flag would help, but that's out of the question.
A warning lamp at a driver's eye level is the answer.
Brake Free is a 170-gram LED loop of lights that mounts with magnets, wirelessly, on the back of a motorcycle helmet. It glows all the time and uses accelerometers and a gyroscope to autonomously detect when a rider is slowing down, braking or downshifting. When it senses a change, the lights glow brighter. Emergency braking causes it to flash. Night or day, the 100 red LED lights alert drivers on the road behind the motorcycle to its whereabouts and actions. The battery lasts eight to 10 hours and charges in two hours.
Check out Brake Free on Indiegogo. The goal of the inventor was to raise $50,000 (U.S.). That was quickly surpassed by 225 per cent. The beta prototype will be available in November with full launch in the spring of 2018.