BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Belfast-based business See.Sense has placed its upgraded LED unit on Kickstarter and is again using the crowdfunding website to generate interest in the “intelligent” bike light. Like its predecessor, the ICON flashes stronger at roundabouts and when tailgated by cars at night. The upgraded light can now sense when a rider has crashed or when a bike equipped with the light is being stolen – in both cases the “connected” LED light rings to alert a designated smartphone.
See-sense released its first LED light on Kickstarter in 2013. It received £33,826 in crowdfunding from 504 backers and was subsequently made available to the bike trade. See.sense assembles the lights in Northern Ireland and employs nine people. The company is currently exhibiting at the Cycle Show at the Birmingham NEC and started its latest Kickstarter campaign earlier this evening.
See.sense has sent details of the campaign to an email list of 5000 and after an hour on Kickstarter was already nearly half way to it target of £24,000.
Speaking from the Cycle Show CEO and co-founder Philip McAleese said:
“We’re confident we’ll reach our Kickstarter target. The early bird specials are extremely good value for money.”
Should the campaign succeed backers will get their lights in November. A number of pre-production lights are in the process of being made and the company is working on a smartphone app that will access the light’s many features. McAlleese said the main production run for the light will take place in January 2016.
ICON uses patent-pending sensor technology to allows it to increase its brightness and flash rates at times the cyclist most needs to be seen. As well as flashing stronger at roundabouts it also does so at road-junctions, and when filtering in traffic.
McAlleese said the ICON also has the potential to collect data that local authorities could use to record near-misses and collisions as well as identifying potholes before they fully develop.
He said: “ICON enhances the cycling experience by opening up a world of possibilities through a smartphone, and it also empowers cyclists to influence councils and municipalities to improve cycling infrastructure and roads to benefit everyone.”
