They've reinvented the bicycle indicator again!

[andygates]

The last similar product I remember was Safe Turn, launched in 2008.

Is the cyclist in the picture you included turning left from the middle of the road, across a driver's path? And if so, will a luminous watch be enough to save him?

Let's be generous and assume he's in America or le Continent. 

The cyclist in the pic still looks like he is making a swooping lane-change over the bonnet of the poor POV car.  What a twat. 

Flashy lights do not protect riders from twatness.

Charlotte's advanced rider course would have him making the move from wider, and from further away, both of which would put him well within the driver's zone of perception. 

As for the proposed solution, well, it's Kickstarter so the masses choose to fund -- or not -- the projects they want to buy into.  Kinda mass mini donation venture capitalism.  If every cyclist thinks as we all seem to, it won't get the funding it so obviously doesn't deserve.   

[clarion]

The last similar product I remember was Safe Turn, launched in 2008.

Is the cyclist in the picture you included turning left from the middle of the road, across a driver's path? And if so, will a luminous watch be enough to save him?

It's OK.  He'll be safe because he's wearing a h...

Aha! you're not going to catch me out that easily.

[Biggsy]

The cyclist in the picture is right in front of the car so that he appears large in the advert.  End of.  What's this got to do with the price of fish anyway?  Ah, we've run out of things to say about the actual products.

It was in Australia, by the way, where they drive on the correct side of the road. 

[Gaz]

I don't know about the rest of you, but i use the back of my glove to wipe sweat from my face. How will that work with all those wires and lights?

[Biggsy]

How will that work with all those wires and lights?

Make the wires and lights smaller to leave room for a sweat wipe.

[Kim]

I don't know about the rest of you, but i use the back of my glove to wipe sweat from my face. How will that work with all those wires and lights?

Electrolyticially.

[Martin]

I don't see the problem; a bit of extra visibility never hurt anyone (presumably for use at night) but as others have said unlikely to catch on. Were you all as up in arms when flashing red LEDs were introduced and you were all using Ever Ready rearguards? or even those flashing green / yellow / white ones which were for being seen rather than lighting up the road?
 
but what would I know?

[Kim]

As I said above, it's not a *bad* idea, if it can be made practical (mainly, without detracting from the basic functionality of the gloves).  I'm just sceptical, because even if they get the electronic bit sussed and washing-machine proof, people's glove preferences can be quite specific, and you can bet they'll be relatively cheap nasty ones.  Same problem as those pedals with the blinkenlights in them.

[Biggsy]

Being unlikely to catch on is the problem - a waste of the inventor's and any investors' resources.

[Kim]

Fair point.

Having the business-fu of a biscuit, I always overlook that sort of thing.

[Martin]

not being fixed to the bike seems the biggest drawback;

If I was starting down this road I'd be thinking of something solar powered and only coming on at night but that's probably years off

[mrcharly-YHT]

not being fixed to the bike seems the biggest drawback;

If I was starting down this road I'd be thinking of something solar powered and only coming on at night but that's probably years off

Make it vibration-powered and then it will serve to absorb some of the energy of vibrations, hence saving your body.

[citoyen]

I don't see the problem

If it were a truly original idea, or a particularly well-thought-out implementation of the idea, the reaction might have been more positive.

But it's neither. Not even close.

d.

[Jaded]

The BAD THING about this invention is that it has to be on all bikes or none.

[andygates]

Mostly the bad thing is that every implementation sucks balls, and even the hypothetical non-ball-suckage version still addresses a problem that doesn't really exist.  Drivers can see hand signals just fine.

Some timid riders -- the sort who like the Reevu mirror helmet (discontinued) and ride in the gutter festooned in hi-viz -- might think that it makes their hand signals more visible.  They usually have a noodly wave in the general direction, because they lack the bicycle control, vim and vigour to give a strict horizontal salute, not to mention a lack of ability to look over their shoulder while holding their line (you try it at 10mph 1 foot from the gutter, it's another reason the gutter is a stupid place to be!). 

Seriously, a bit of reflective on the glove solves even the fraidy-cat rider's fear.  Plenty of winter gloves are well festooned, and a quick slap-wrap turns that up to eleven.  No need to buy weird inventions, no risk of punching yourself in the face with a flashing lamp. 

[TimO]

The design just looks a bit gash.  It's using a Lilypad, which is meant to be used for wearables, but given the quite moderate demands made on IO by the design it's far too large.  I would have used something like an Arduino Mini, or Teensy, or something even smaller if it exists.

As others have said, the chevrons are essentially a waste of time, from even a moderate distance, a driver will not be able to see the individual elements, it will just be a yellow light.  The usefulness of a flashing light or a moving object (ie a hand or arm) is also arguable, and I think I'd just go for a solid yellow light that came on when held in the appropriate location.

9 times out of 10, a retroflective is going to be at least as efficient, a lot cheap, and much more easily replaceable when it eventually wears out (after a year or two).

[Kim]

Indeed.  If I were going to attack this non-problem, I'd go for *breathable* (the main failing of those otherwise perfectly adequate slap-wrap things) wrist straps with a couple of nice bright 180-degree-visible lights on them.  Flashingness optional.  User supplies own gloves.  Job done.

I did give serious consideration to indicators for the baraktacycle, but having had her on a Trice and discussed such matters with Tigerbiten, we concluded it wasn't actually worth the effort.

[mrcharly-YHT]

When I was a lad, there were a lot of old lorries on the road in australia.

None of them had electrickery indicators.

Instead, the driver pulled a lever and an arm swung out from the side, pointing in the turn direction.

Such a device would be extremely sensible for cyclists. Pull a lever, then keep both hands on the bars while completing your turn. The swung-out arm would also be a disincentive for cars to attempt a close overtake when turning right.

[Wendy]

I'm largely against indicators - no use on most bikes, even recumbents.

OTOH, this video shows some useful indicators, done rather tastefully.  They're important on a velomobile as Kim earlier said.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/HsQ-bJc16t0&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/HsQ-bJc16t0&rel=1</a>

More important still if you're using a race cap, since you can't get your arm out:
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/S69ydan9dFY&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/S69ydan9dFY&rel=1</a>