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TECH NEWS

The Laser – keeping you safe, Sci-Fi style

Hoxton, we have a problem...

Remember the laser light lane that we featured back in January? The idea was that the laser projected a virtual bike lane behind you to keep drivers out of your space. Well, the whole concept has been taken a step further by industrial designer Leonardo Manavella: step forward a system known simply as 'The Laser'.

The Laser is a system in four parts, that you attach to the fork blades and seatstays of your bike. Each unit is recharged from a dynamo, and contains a laser projector, a horn and a proximity sensor, as well as some kind of wireless capability to talk to the other three. The four lasers project an elliptical buffer zone around the bike to make your effective size on the road a bit bigger, in a similar way to the laser light lane.

Should a car cross the line, though, it's a different story: the proximity sensors pick up the encroachment, the lasers turn red and the klaxons sound, warning you (and possibly the driver, unless they've got Heart FM on nice and loud) that there's a danger of a collision. Once the vehicle clears the danger zone, the lights turn green again and all is calm.

All sound a bit sci-fi? Well, it is: of course this doesn't actually exist except in the mind of Manavella, a mind that's also brought us the Agua H2O urine-to-fresh water converter. But could any part of the system really be useful? Obviously lasers are expensive and they'd only be useful at night, but proximity sensors are twenty to the dozen these days in the rear bumpers of cars: it'd certainly be possible to hook a few of those (and a shouty horn) up on a bike... anyone ever tried?

Dave is a founding father of road.cc, having previously worked on Cycling Plus and What Mountain Bike magazines back in the day. He also writes about e-bikes for our sister publication ebiketips. He's won three mountain bike bog snorkelling World Championships, and races at the back of the third cats.

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9 comments

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Tony Farrelly | 14 years ago
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so picky

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Tony Farrelly | 14 years ago
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Something like this…

There's a story here http://road.cc/content/news/318-video-vest-displays-your-speed

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Ian Crook replied to Tony Farrelly | 14 years ago
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I liked this idea, but thought the speed sould be on the front too. The people I have trouble with are the ones coming the other way who then turn right across my path totally mis judging my speed.

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TRs Blurb n Blog replied to Tony Farrelly | 14 years ago
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er yeah, but with a proximity sensor, and without the speed showing, and the light changing from green to red if you are too close or approaching to fast. Apart from that, exactly the same as a vest with a light on it.

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TRs Blurb n Blog | 14 years ago
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I think this system would be better with a proximity detector and a vest that glowed and changed colour not a laser marker. A driver might not be able to see the floor markings plus it would make the driver more aware of your actual presence?
Plus I think the horns would be more frightening to the cyclist than the motorist. You could probably knock out a tune in rush hour traffic?

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Jon Burrage | 14 years ago
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Keep your eyes peeled for a guy called Dr.Bryan Roberts, he is working in conjunction with loguborough uni developing funky stuff...some similar to this, i met him at a business seminar earlier this week and some of the kit he is working on is very fancy.

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neilwheel | 14 years ago
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OMG! There's some nut RIDING ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD!  13

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Alankk | 14 years ago
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What stops it from going off when the cyclist verve into a car? Nevertheless interesting concept..

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wild man | 14 years ago
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I remember Derren Brown putting a stuffed wallet on a busy pavement, drawing a chalk circle around it, and leaving it for hours. He came back and it was untouched, so the laser circle might do it with no need for the klaxons.

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