Arm Indicators

[wafflycat]

No problems experienced wearing arm/ankle bands. This is the woman who has 3 front lights, 3 rear lights and wears acres of reflectives on self & on bike. I take the low-flying UFO approach to night cycling. Indeed of all the stuff I've used, the single thing that has made the biggest noticeable difference to my visibility is wearing a lid-mounted LED headtorch. Oncoming motorists dipped lights noticeably sooner and when the odd one didn't dip lights - look straight at where the driver is sitting, whilst having an LED headtorch on, and they soon get the idea...

 

[Iceniner]

Bit off topic, but what headlight do you use?

 

[Maz]

Im not disagreeing with wafflycat, those arm bands probably work fine but if i can make my self be seen better to drivers, even if people thinks its over kill in my view its worth it.

Can't argue with that, ice9r.

 

[wafflycat]

A cheapo Petzl-lookey-likey with 7 LEDs in it.

 

[magnatom]

Indicators - why?

Why not?

I must admit on my commute (well lit urban) I'm not sure they would help a great deal, but I can imagine on darker roads where your arms would not necessarily be visible, these could help make your intentions known at a distance.

 

[cannondale boy]

Good idea i guess, but more research in to making the product more easier to use than pressing a button. If you went in to the dragons den (a bbc programme) then i think you would be kicked out. But who knows the market, i am happy with my arm bands .

 

[col]

Great idea,but like someone said,have a strip visible from oncoming traffic too,we can never have enough aids to being seen.

 

[Iceniner]

To be honest these werent made for a market as such, just something i was toying around with - people did mention the dragons den and i said ... "umm quite postitively no!".

At the end of the day im not trying to sell them to people or get them to use them, just showing what i had made incase it might be useful to others.

Its still a first prototype so not everything is meant to be perfect, those of you who have made suggestions they have been useful, so thank you :-). Maybe someone out there with more skill can take what i have done and improve it :-)

 

[col]

To be honest these werent made for a market as such, just something i was toying around with - people did mention the dragons den and i said ... "umm quite postitively no!".

At the end of the day im not trying to sell them to people or get them to use them, just showing what i had made incase it might be useful to others.

Its still a first prototype so not everything is meant to be perfect, those of you who have made suggestions they have been useful, so thank you :-). Maybe someone out there with more skill can take what i have done and improve it :-)

Its a great idea,keep at it,im not very elecrically minded,but im sure you will iron it out.That combined with a viz vest and lights,and your pretty much doing all you can to be seen on dark nights.

 

[Iceniner]

I just found this after a fair amount of searching, a similar idea with the tilt switch. Would be nice to see it in action, the LEDs on the arm look like little spots, but they've kinda sagged under the arm.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/...ilt-in brake lights and indicators/article.do

 

[col]

I just found this after a fair amount of searching, a similar idea with the tilt switch. Would be nice to see it in action, the LEDs on the arm look like little spots, but they've kinda sagged under the arm.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/...ilt-in brake lights and indicators/article.do

Just doesnt seem clear enough to me,a bit confusing for some i think?

 

[Iceniner]

If you scroll down that there is a video, i mean the idea is pretty cool but the jacket might be retailed around £100. Not so sure about the going green for accelerating, just going red when hes slowing down would be cool. I mean its another protype that has room for changes.

Also the light arms dont flash like a normal vechicles indicators do :-( the sleeves would need to be tight to stop the heavier LED side flopping down like it appeared to in the vid at some points.

 

[Brock]

I'd rather people didn't use such indicators myself.
However, if I'm being constuctive, I'd quite like to see the lights moving toward the wrist in clumps of 3 or 4 LEDs, Night Rider style, so it's more obvious which signal is being given. As your video shows in the darkened hall demonstration, without other reflectors or lights on the cycle as reference it really doesn't indicate a direction at all, until you start flapping anyway.

 

[col]

I'd rather people didn't use such indicators myself.
However, if I'm being constuctive, I'd quite like to see the lights moving toward the wrist in clumps of 3 or 4 LEDs, Night Rider style, so it's more obvious which signal is being given. As your video shows in the darkened hall demonstration, without other reflectors or lights on the cycle as reference it really doesn't indicate a direction at all, until you start flapping anyway.

Unless you have a nice bright back light?

 

[Iceniner]

Ok so i took these out on the road tonight for a 12mile run around town and some other back roads.

Yes i did accidently click them on once or twice, but that was just whilst i was sorting out positioning of the button on my hand. It was mainly my right arm that popped on because i was using that one for most of my gearing.

It was raining and the material like me was pretty soaked, but the lights worked fine, so ive sealed them well enough :-) No worries there.

I think that they also helped on some of the more busy roads as one driver was lining up to over take me as i was pulling up to a junction signalling right he slowed down and gave me plenty of room to move. (Thank you nice driver!)

Also another time when i was going around a round about they were useful as another car gave me plenty of space when i was using them.

Overall although i dont think they will stop SMDSY, i think that they helped me tonight when i was riding around the town :-)

I might try and ask some people on the road what they think of them at some point get some feed back from drivers where its appropriate to talk to them of course!