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World's first helmet with laser projection launches

The Beacon Helmet beams laser-projected images, has indicators and even has built-in speakers: is this the ultimate urban lid?

A Kickstarter campaign has started today for the Beacon Helmet with a £60,000 funding goal, with the project born of UK-based inventor Jeff Zhang's vision to "make cycling much safer". 

It projects lasers either side of the cyclist and also in front of them to give drivers prior warning when a bike is approaching a junction. Beacon Helmet say the main issue it addresses is blind-spot accidents, by projecting a laser image 5-12 metres in front of the cyclist so they're visible even in the blind spot of lorries and buses when turning. They also say it could help to prevent pedestrians stepping into cyclists' path from behind parked cars. 

 

beacon helmet.png

The Beacon Helmet also encourages drivers to leave a safe distance when overtaking by placing the side beams over a meter out either side. As well as the front and side lasers, the helmet has indictator lights, an extra large indicator button, a brake light that automatically comes on when it detects deceleration, and front and rear LED's. It's even got built-in speakers that can be used for turn-by-turn navigation in conjunction with third-party apps, or playing music - though Beacon Helmet don't recommend distracting yourself by blasting out the tunes in heavy traffic. It's USB rechargeable with an estimated battery life of 3-5 hours, and weighs 400g. 

The price is £249 on Beacon Helmet's website, with pre-orders already being taken. If you want to stay updated on the funding campaign, head over to their Kickstarter page

 

 

Arriving at road.cc in 2017 via 220 Triathlon Magazine, Jack dipped his toe in most jobs on the site and over at eBikeTips before being named the new editor of road.cc in 2020, much to his surprise. His cycling life began during his students days, when he cobbled together a few hundred quid off the back of a hard winter selling hats (long story) and bought his first road bike - a Trek 1.1 that was quickly relegated to winter steed, before it was sadly pinched a few years later. Creatively replacing it with a Trek 1.2, Jack mostly rides this bike around local cycle paths nowadays, but when he wants to get the racer out and be competitive his preferred events are time trials, sportives, triathlons and pogo sticking - the latter being another long story.  

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43 comments

Avatar
davel | 6 years ago
0 likes

Love it.

Any other jenyoowine cyclists/patent experts want to debut on this thread?

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Cyclist-lawyer-... | 6 years ago
0 likes

I looked into their website and I don’t think the front laser will dazzle other road-user as it is quite smartly controlled: It’d shut down smartly whenever your head moves too fast. And it’ll be only triggered by a high speed threshold. Overall, it’s a great concept / product and people may like it a lot.

Regarding the patent, one of their granted patents (EP2284069 ) on their website clearly grants them the legal right to integrate laser onto a helmet. This patent in fact also give them the right to make handle-bar mounted laser light if you look at all its claims. Blaze may be in trouble now as this patent was granted much earlier than Blaze’s patent which may lose easily in case of a law suit.
 

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Goldfever4 replied to Cyclist-lawyer-burgerlover | 6 years ago
0 likes

Cyclist-lawyer-burgerlover wrote:

I looked into their website and I don’t think the front laser will dazzle other road-user as it is quite smartly controlled: It’d shut down smartly whenever your head moves too fast. And it’ll be only triggered by a high speed threshold. Overall, it’s a great concept / product and people may like it a lot.

Regarding the patent, one of their granted patents (EP2284069 ) on their website clearly grants them the legal right to integrate laser onto a helmet. This patent in fact also give them the right to make handle-bar mounted laser light if you look at all its claims. Blaze may be in trouble now as this patent was granted much earlier than Blaze’s patent which may lose easily in case of a law suit.
 

 

Really...

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schlepcycling | 6 years ago
0 likes
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beezus fufoon replied to schlepcycling | 6 years ago
0 likes

schlepcycling wrote:

Looks like the Kickstarter campaign has been pulled.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/beaconhelmet/beacon-helmet-with-three-laser-lights-and-so-much/description

we just killed a dream!

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to beezus fufoon | 6 years ago
1 like

beezus fufoon wrote:

schlepcycling wrote:

Looks like the Kickstarter campaign has been pulled.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/beaconhelmet/beacon-helmet-with-three-laser-lights-and-so-much/description

we just killed a dream!

I hope it was us, but I suspect it might have been Blaze with their patented trademark copyright.

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Bez | 6 years ago
0 likes

So if you're looking around then the laser doesn't do anything? Brilliant. It's like you looked at the Blaze Laserlight and went, "hey, why don't we make something vaguely similar but with a truckload of additional design flaws, and sell it for twice the price?"

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BeaconHelmet | 6 years ago
0 likes

The front laser is very carefully limited by both speed and monitoring your head movement. Any sudden movement or turning will trigger a shut-down of the laser. laugh

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beezus fufoon | 6 years ago
6 likes

I want one - but only if it can do this

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Yorkshire wallet | 6 years ago
1 like

Looks like Tron for cyclists.

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Bez | 6 years ago
11 likes

So you need to have a phone app draining your battery while you ride? That's a quality design decision right there.

Please stop designing and making techno-trinkets like this. They slowly kill cycling. The idea that everyone should pretend to be a motor vehicle is ridiculous and just gradually marginalises what should be a hugely accessible form of transport.

Except of course that you stop with the motor vehicle comparisons by disadvising users from listening to music on the supposed grounds of distraction—yet I'm willing to bet a pile of cash that you listen to music while driving a car, or at the very least that you've never in your life suggested to a driver that they shouldn't turn the stereo on.

Proposing that people pay £250 to stick nearly half a kilo of batteries and lights on their head as some sort of amulet to defend against the people who—according to your views on music—you're happy to accept as being distracted while in charge of the sort of vehicles that stand to kill the hat-wearer, is frankly contemptible.

You're not solving anything. You're part of the problem.

http://singletrackworld.com/2015/02/bez-the-wedge/

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davel replied to Bez | 6 years ago
3 likes
Bez wrote:

Please stop designing and making crap like this. It kills cycling. The idea that everyone should pretend to be a motor vehicle is ridiculous and just gradually marginalises what should be a hugely accessible form of transport.

Indeed. It just becomes an arms race - to the bottom, for the rest of us.

A lack of helmet and hi-viz is already referred to in court cases, even though there is no legal requirement for either and muddy evidence regarding the efficacy of both.

That's worth repeating: defence lawyers already use the victim-blaming line regarding cyclist deaths, in an attempt to mitigate for their clients' actions. Cyclist 'PPE' is already a mess of bad science and ideology. Stuff like this adds to that noise.

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thereverent replied to Bez | 6 years ago
1 like

Bez wrote:

So you need to have a phone app draining your battery while you ride? That's a quality design decision right there.

Please stop designing and making techno-trinkets like this. They slowly kill cycling. The idea that everyone should pretend to be a motor vehicle is ridiculous and just gradually marginalises what should be a hugely accessible form of transport.

Except of course that you stop with the motor vehicle comparisons by disadvising users from listening to music on the supposed grounds of distraction—yet I'm willing to bet a pile of cash that you listen to music while driving a car, or at the very least that you've never in your life suggested to a driver that they shouldn't turn the stereo on.

Proposing that people pay £250 to stick nearly half a kilo of batteries and lights on their head as some sort of amulet to defend against the people who—according to your views on music—you're happy to accept as being distracted while in charge of the sort of vehicles that stand to kill the hat-wearer, is frankly contemptible.

You're not solving anything. You're part of the problem.

http://singletrackworld.com/2015/02/bez-the-wedge/

Indeed

I thinks the sales figures will prove just how useful or not people find this in the real world. Like many other products similar to this I don't expect to hear much about it again.

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Altimis | 6 years ago
4 likes

"weighs 400g."

 

Are you fuking kidding me? there no way I would wear that shiz tons of heavy stone on atop of my head.

NO thanks.

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brooksby replied to Altimis | 6 years ago
7 likes

Altimis wrote:

"weighs 400g."

 

Are you fuking kidding me? there no way I would wear that shiz tons of heavy stone on atop of my head.

NO thanks.

Personally, I found the £249 price tag way more disturbing...

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burtthebike | 6 years ago
2 likes

When I read the headline, I thought "at last, parity between drivers and cyclists."  The drivers have a ton of metal and plastic that can kill, and cyclists should be equipped with lasers to slice cars, and their occupants, in half; balance!

To be serious for a moment, self preservation is extremely powerful, and if drivers thought that you could slice them up with a laser, they would give you much more respect.  Of course it all falls down because the laser, which as far as I know hasn't killed anyone, would be banned, while cars, which kill thousands every year, is entirely legal, and you don't even have to pay attention while you drive, even though a moment's inattention could result in death.  How many times have drivers escaped conviction because they said they didn't see someone, a clear admission that they weren't looking and weren't driving carefully.

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alansmurphy | 6 years ago
6 likes

I've heard:

The laser is only turned on when you speed is above a certain threshold. when cycling at high speed, head movement is both rare and quick, and therefore laser distraction is very low.

But I'm not sure how true it is, if only a company rep was reading and could clarify...

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reliablemeatloaf | 6 years ago
3 likes

Once again the onus is on cyclists to provide for their own protection, while drivers get a pass.

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hsiaolc | 6 years ago
6 likes

It should be banned.  

It creats danger for the other cyclists when you see green laser graphics dancing left and right of you and can cause you to try to doge them and in turn maybe cause accidents. 

On a bike is already not the best solution but on a helmet is just plain daft. 

I look over my shoulder even when I am traveling at full speed especially knowingly racing with other cyclists or even just to check if any cars behind me while over taking and I will be beaming the laser at people in the car or whoever is in the path of my gaze. 

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brooksby | 6 years ago
9 likes

"I want sharks. Sharks with frickin' lasers on their heads!"

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leqin | 6 years ago
12 likes

can I have the one with phasers and photon torpeoes... a lazer just doesn't cut it.

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50kcommute | 6 years ago
1 like

Ban lasers on the road IMO ... At any speed

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cyclisto | 6 years ago
1 like

I guess if you put some crusty bacon on your helmet you will receive less attention than with this beacon helmet.

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Flying Scot | 6 years ago
6 likes

More cheese Gromit?

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Goldfever4 | 6 years ago
2 likes

Absolutely stupid idea, turn your head and nail everyone in the eye with a laser beam. Next!

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BeaconHelmet replied to Goldfever4 | 6 years ago
0 likes

Goldfever4 wrote:

Absolutely stupid idea, turn your head and nail everyone in the eye with a laser beam. Next!

Hi, just to clarify

the laser is only turned on when you speed is above a certain threshold. when cycling at high speed, head movement is both rare and quick, and therefore laser distraction is very low. 

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Goldfever4 replied to BeaconHelmet | 6 years ago
5 likes

BeaconHelmet wrote:

Goldfever4 wrote:

Absolutely stupid idea, turn your head and nail everyone in the eye with a laser beam. Next!

Hi, just to clarify

the laser is only turned on when you speed is above a certain threshold. when cycling at high speed, head movement is both rare and quick, and therefore laser distraction is very low. 

Speak for yourself, I personally like to check behind me no matter what speed I'm doing because I don't want to die.

Your product appears to be ridiculously flawed but more importantly dangerous and I hope one never comes anywhere near me.

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leaway2 | 6 years ago
2 likes

driver, "Blo*** hell, what's that in the road?" Crash. Also not to be worn near airports.

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Edgeley | 6 years ago
2 likes

I rather like the idea of painting a line on the road to encourage drivers to stay on the outside of it.   But shouldn't the laser be mounted on the bike rather than a helmet unless you are encouraged not to move your head?

 

And as ever, there is the danger that cyclists who aren't wearing the full armour are seen as some how authors of their own demise, and that some drivers won't notice people who aren't lasered up.

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Edsonytic replied to Edgeley | 6 years ago
1 like

RobD wrote:

I like the idea of being able to project a lane type light at the side of the bike (wouldn't want it on a helmet though) it might help as a suggestion to car drivers as to what the minimum distance should be.

Edgeley wrote:

I rather like the idea of painting a line on the road to encourage drivers to stay on the outside of it.   But shouldn't the laser be mounted on the bike rather than a helmet unless you are encouraged not to move your head?

I used a laser-equiped back light for some time (https://www.amazon.com.mx/gp/product/B071NDZHY4/).
Unfortunately the lasers on it are projected just a few cm wider than the bike itself. It meant that even though most drivers did leave more space, some others passed me just by the edge of the light and thus very close to hitting me.
That's a similar experince to what some report on narrow paint-only cycle lanes.

This helmet does seem to provide a greater buffer area around the cyclist but I agree it would probably have issues with any head movement.

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