A bicycle light that uses a laser to project an image of a bike six metres onto the road ahead is being used to help keep London’s cyclists safer.
Two hundred and fifty hire bikes introduced by London Mayor, Boris Johnson, are being fitted with the laser technology.
The Laserlight was first developed in 2013, by start-up company Blaze. Emily Brooke, Blaze’s founder and CEO, decided to create the device after discovering that 79 per cent of cycle accidents occur when a vehicle turns into a cyclist who is in their blind spot. By projecting the bicycle symbol onto the road ahead, the Laserlight gives the cyclist a bigger footprint on the road and alerts drivers ahead of a cyclist’s presence.
The Laserlight is, first and foremost, a white LED with an output of 300 lumen in the brightest mode. The laser image is projected by a separate direct-diode green laser inside the light that can be switched on and off independently.
Green light is used to project the cycle image because the human eye is most receptive to light of that wavelength, according to the company. The laser has been tested to confirm that it does not damage the retina.
Both the white light and the green laser can be activated independently and both have an optional flashing mode, which extends the battery life to approximately 13 hours.
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