World's first helmet with laser projection launches

Love it.

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

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.
 

Looks like the Kickstarter campaign has been pulled.

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

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?"

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. 

I want one - but only if it can do this

Looks like Tron for cyclists.

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/

"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.

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.

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...

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

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. 

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

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

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

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

More cheese Gromit?

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

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

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.