Smart bike light could revolutionize cycle safety

Northern Ireland’s See.Sense’s new smart ICON bike light texts friends if a user crashes, tells riders about potholes and deters thieves.

See.Sense is a Northern Ireland-based business identifying as a technology company with a love for cycling. The company was created after its founder survived a serious bike crash in Singapore rush hour traffic. It aims to help other cyclists avoid similar scenarios with their latest product, the ICON bike light. Designed for use in day and night, the ICON is smart and responsive.

Linked to a smartphone app, the light gathers data with each ride, alerting riders to changes such as new potholes and potential accident hotspots. Visibility is essential, and the broad light beam makes riders more conspicuous. If a cyclist swerves or brakes hard, the light automatically flashes like emergency service lights. In a crash, the app sends the rider’s location to a nominated contact. Additionally, if someone tries to steal the bike, an alert is sent to the cyclist’s phone.

Projects finding ways of making transport smarter are popping up in almost every country. In Germany, e-ink signs on trucks provide traffic and weather updates. In the United States, a self-driving, 3D printed bus is hailed with an app. How could networks of self-driving vehicles be programmed to work more safely with cyclists?