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FAST light doubles up as anti-theft and crash detection device, and is seeking Kickstarter funding + video FAST light doubles up as anti-theft and crash detection device, and is seeking Kickstarter funding + video FAST light doubles up as anti-theft and crash detection device, and is seeking Kickstarter funding + video FAST light doubles up as anti-theft and crash detection device, and is seeking Kickstarter funding + video
FAST light

FAST light doubles up as anti-theft and crash detection device, and is seeking Kickstarter funding + video

Smart FAST light offers anti-theft and crash detection benefits as well as 30 lumen output
by David Arthur @davearthur
Fri, Sep 04, 2015 09:17
5

Another day, another Kickstarter project. This one has potential though. It’s the FAST light, and doubles up as an anti-theft and crash detection device, as well as offering customisable lighting patterns via a smartphone app.

The FAST’s biggest benefit (as well as actually being a light) is that it can send a distress signal if you have an accident, and then send GPS data to an emergency contact. It can also be used as an anti-theft device. Any sudden movements will send an alert to your smartphone. There have been a few products launched in recent years that offer similar functionality, such as the Cycliq Fly12.

Fed up with the limited number of lighting modes on a regular LED light? FAST has your concerns covered. The lighting modes can be customised using a smartphone app, available on Android and iOS, so you can design your own flash pattern and change the colour - though as rear lights need to be red your creativity is probably best limited to the flashing pattern. The inventors claim the multiple LEDs offer 16 million colour choices though.

The FAST light is clever too. It can detect low levels of light and automatically power up. The FAST light has a 30 lumen output and a battery life of up to 60 days in standby mode, down to 10 hours on solid mode, the brightest of the available settings. The lithium polymer battery is charged via a USB port, with charge time a claimed 2-hours. It’s a compact light, measuring 75x39x29mm and weighing a claimed 39g.

The FAST creators are seeking $20,000 funding and so far have raised $7,912 from 120 backers, with 35 days to go. It looks good for them reaching their goal, we’ll track this story and update you if they’re successful. And provided they reach their funding target, they aim to deliver product in November 2015. Currently an early bird bid will get you a FAST light for just $19. The retail price will be $39. 

Find out more at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/64558910/fast-tail-light-protects-y...

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FAST light
David Arthur @davearthur

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes. 

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5 comments

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Simmo72 | 8 years ago
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However, I do agree with Armb, something 433mhz would be good

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Simmo72 | 8 years ago
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I'm going to try it, bluetooth range at home is ok and primarily this is what I would use it for.

They tried it on chris froome but he kept on running the battery down due to the frequency of crashes.

Avatar
bikebot | 8 years ago
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For this and the other devices mentioned, integrating with smartphones for anti-theft is largely pointless. Bluetooth doesn't have the range and the signal can barely penetrate a thick wall. You'll probably only be in range if you can see your bike, and if you can see your bike what's the point.

If instead, someone would sell a basic vibration based security device that uses a 433mhz transmitter (with keyfob receiver), I'd probably buy it. That's the frequency used for unlicensed devices such as garage door openers, and those can reach as much as a few hundred metres. For me, that's enough for most cases where I'd want to leave a bike outside a shop, office, pub etc

So someone please kickstart one of those, or I'll have to get the soldering iron out and make my own!

Avatar
armb | 8 years ago
0 likes

No mention of the range on the anti-theft, but it's going to be fairly limited. Still, I suppose if you were any further away, being alerted that someone was messing with your lock wouldn't help anyway.
(Their photo shows an unlocked bike. Don't do that.)
And, as already pointed out, the variable colours and patterns are of limited use on the road.
But it could be a fun cheap toy, and if the crash detection is reliable, could actually be useful.

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skull-collector... | 8 years ago
0 likes

Illegal in the UK as a primary light, as it's not red and might be flashing too fast!

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