• Home
  • Trends
  • Company News
  • Product News
  • Fashion
  • Podcast
  • Events
  • About
  • Contact
  • February 26, 2021

Wearable Tech Insider

The Inside Word on Wearables and Wearable Technology

You are here: Home / Product News / LED Bike Turn Signal Gloves

LED Bike Turn Signal Gloves

November 29, 2013 By Dan Rosenbaum

We weren’t expecting much on the day after Thanksgiving, but we found this morning a truly awesome idea: bicycle gloves with high-output LEDs that function as directional signals. Check this video:

[youtube www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJLzunjOpBU]

 

Zach Vorheis was a programmer for Google Earth who found his way into the fashion tech world and came up with this terrifically practical idea that increases bicyclist visibility and safety. There are LEDs on the back of the glove. To signal a turn, the rider closes a circuit by bringing his thumb to the outside of his index finger. To signal cars behind you, you hold up your hand as though you were using bike hand signals; to alert oncoming traffic, you put your hand on the top of your drop-down handlebar, with the back of your hand facing forward.

There’ll be a Kickstarter campaign starting December 9, and you can sign up at the company’s site to be updated. We’ll keep you posted, too.

Last updated by Dan Rosenbaum on December 10, 2013.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Google
  • Email

Related

Filed Under: Product News, Trends Tagged With: bike gloves, leds, sports, zackees

← Reuters: Apple in the Hearing Aid Business? Top 10 Wearable Design Principles →

Comments

  1. Gary Yngve says

    December 13, 2013 at 12:30 pm

    Cute idea, but two serious problems that decrease safety:
    1) often you want to alert both oncoming traffic and behind traffic
    2) the holding up your hand to have the lights signal a left turn is actually a right turn signal without the lights, which is a) very confusing b) contrary to vehicular code (which could impact the success of a lawsuit against the person who ran me over)

    • centerring says

      December 13, 2013 at 12:45 pm

      A reasonable point. However, I might argue that the knowledge of “approved” hand signals is far from ubiquitous — and flashing arrows are probably a better indication of intent than obscure gestures.

      Thanks for reading and commenting.

  2. John S. Allen says

    December 13, 2013 at 1:35 pm

    Centerring is right. Holding up the left hand is a right-turn signal, and not a very good one. I call it the “dyslexic Boy-Scout salute.” The extended right arm makes a much better signal, and rotating the wrist makes it flash front and rear. I’ve been doing this with relfective tape on my gloves for many years. LEDs would make it more effective to the front, where it is useful also to alert pedestrians, and where a motorist’s headlights are usually not aimed at the glove. The arrow is pointless — or could (literally) be without creating a problem –) because it is too small to be resolved at normal distances where a person would need to see it; also, to the glove might be used make a slow signal with the arm extended downward. How about LEDs that glow yellow with the arm extended sideways and red if downward? How about a companion product for road workers and police directing traffic?

    • Dave Holland says

      December 14, 2013 at 3:47 am

      Using the left arm for signaling makes you legal in every state, should be recognized by every road user, is more visible to oncoming traffic and following traffic, and allows the right hand to remain in a position to operate the rear brake. The only exception is changing lanes when you may be blocked from the view of traffic in the right lane by a vehicle following close in your lane. – Complying with the law would not prevent the use of additional methods to communicate your intention to traffic in the right lane.

  3. John S. Allen says

    December 13, 2013 at 1:36 pm

    Oops, it was Gary Yngve I was responding to.

  4. Dave Holland says

    December 14, 2013 at 3:28 am

    GARY YNGVE has a valid point.
    Signaling a right turn (left forearm up) and turning left is illegal and could be disastrous. Also, the right hand right turn signal is not legal in every state. To my knowledge there is no legal substitute for signaling with the hands/arm for bicyclists in any state.
    LED lights front and rear on gloves would be legal, and aid in visibility. Promoting the use of LED arrows and illegal hand signals makes you responsible for those that follow your instruction.

Subscribe To Our Weekly Newsletter

Subscribe now to the Wearable Tech Insider's weekly news blast. You'll get links to the top half-dozen stories in the world of wearable tech, optimized for quick reading. It's the best way to read the Wearable Tech Insider; it's free and you can change your mind any time. And, of course, we'll never sell your name or e-mail address...

Search This Site

Recent Posts

New Use Case for Apple Watch: Red Sox Stealing Signs

Fossil Debuts Two Android Wear Smartwatches

Garmin Shows Three New Fitness Bands at IFA

Fitbit Ionic: Minimal Acceptable Product?

Intel (Finally) Ditches Wearables for AR

Don’t Believe Everything You Read: Wearables Are Far From Dead

Eyes F.lashing Before Your Life

Smarty Pants: Nadi X Yoga Leggings

Rings: How Smart Can They Be?

Upskill Closes Series B Financing, But Won’t Say How Much

Stories from Health Tech Insider

  • System Helps Kids Hear Better at a Distance and with Background Noise
  • Smart Patch Collects Heart Data for Walking Health Check
  • New Report Shows Your Health App Data Is at Risk
  • Wearables Help Cancer Patients Manage Pain at Home
  • Telehealth Is Key Factor for Eating Disorder Treatment
  • Nemaura Launches an Arsenal to Beat T2 Diabetes [video]

Topics

2013 android android wear apple apple watch apx labs basis battery CES ces2016 CES2017 epson finance fitbit fitness fossil fuelband garmin gear glass google healthkit intel iWatch jawbone LG market research microsoft misfit MWC15 nfc nike omate omsignal pebble recon samsung smartwatch sony sports tizen vuzix withings wristware wristwear

Sign up for Wearable Tech Insider

First name
Last name
* = required field

powered by MailChimp!

Subscribe now to the Wearable Tech Insider's weekly news blast. You'll get links to the top half-dozen stories in the world of wearable tech, optimized for quick reading. It's the best way to read the Wearable Tech Insider; it's free and you can change your mind any time. And, of course, we'll never sell your name or e-mail address...

Made in New York
Wearable Tech Insider is proud to be Made in NY.

All text © 2015 Center Ring Media

Privacy Policy

Center Ring Media Sites

Wearable Tech Insider
Seniortech Insider
Health Tech Insider

Copyright 2016 Center Ring Media | Site by JRMC

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.