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Lumenus Jacket
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A startup called Lumenus is aiming to make biking and running safer with its LED-equipped “smart” clothing and backpacks.
There’s already clothing with LEDs stitched into it, but what makes Lumenus unique is that its LEDs are tied to an app on your smartphone (via Bluetooth) that uses GPS and Google Maps to chart exactly where you are on the road. When making a turn, the LEDs automatically signal and they’ll flash when you make your way across intersections.
“Our lighting is designed to mimic that of our traffic system with white headlights, red taillights, and amber turn signals,” the company says. Its motto is “Be brighter.”
Lumenus has a Kickstarter up and is giving early-bird $100 discounts on its backpacks, vests, jackets and coats, which start at $100 and are due to ship in June of 2016.
The LEDs obviously stand out more at night, but they are designed to be visible during the day. After seeing the video below the other day at sfgate.com, I naturally wondered whether the female runner, who was not identified, would have gotten noticed if she’d been wearing one of Lumenus’ smart-illuminating vests. The accident happened recently in San Francisco and the jogger had to go to the hospital but survived.
