revolights - Kickstarter project

ABOUT THIS PROJECT

Dear Kickstarter Supporter, 

Thanks for checking out our project. We hope you are as excited about revolutionizing the bike light industry as we are. With your help, we will morph Revolights into an innovative bike light solution used worldwide. We recognize Revolights are different, but we're from the Bay Area where different is, well, sometimes better. People aren't used to wheel mounted lights, but simply put, we intend to change that.

Today we have a product (patent pending); a product we're proud of and believe in, but it's not complete! Our goal here on kickstarter is clear... we must further the revolution; the bike lighting revolution. We must raise enough support to take Revolights through the rest of design and final product development. We will take them from where they are now (v4 below) to where they will be at the end of 2011, as a viable, user friendly, finished product.

What are Revolights? Revolights consist of 2 thin profile LED rings (white in front, red in back) that mount directly to each wheel rim (just below the brake calipers) using a series of rim specific clips. Power is supplied via a thin wire to the hub where a lightweight and slim, USB rechargable polymer lithium-ion battery is held in a special bracket. A small magnet is secured to the fork to provide speed and orientation information to the rings.

(Battery holding device and battery are not pictured, but they will be located on the hub.  We promise, they will be very unnoticeable...so, actually, in fact they might just be pictured...)

Where's development at? We currently have the 4th design version complete of the Revolights rings and clips. The rings are made of lightweight aluminum alloy, which can be finalized into a production 5th design version quickly. The clips are currently developed for Road Bike style rims only. The battery holding device is in initial design. The first design version of the battery holding device will be complete by the end of the funding duration. The developmental process will take Revolights right up to the point where they will be ready for manufacturing tooling.

What's the money for? As mentioned, we are on prototype design version 4. V4 currently demonstrates all of the critical functions: it is simple to install, does not interfere with the ride, and is fully functioning. But we need to incorporate further design elements to get it to a production ready status; i.e. to a place where it can be used by everyone. This involves construction of a 5th, possibly 6th, prototype version in quantities that will allow testers to assure the lights are ready for prime time.

So, in short: 1) prototype design, 2) prototype building, 3) tester program design, 4) tester acquisition, 5) program execution, 6) data analysis, 7) and repeat…

If funds remain, we will use them to build the working capital necessary for manufacturing the first production batch of Revolights.

How long are we thinking this will take? If you become one of our supporters, you will get exclusive, regular updates on our status. We believe in transparency, both procedural and financial. We want you to know everything we know. We want your monetary support, but need your involvement. We've got some cool stuff planned. We promise you won’t be let down; let’s ride.

A bit about why we are doing this, and why we believe...

The invention began as little more than an after school idea, but has blossomed into a product that we believe can throw a new "spin" on bicycle rider safety.

On the road, bike lights contribute to rider safety in two ways: 

1) lighting - allows riders to safely navigate at night by illuminating their forward path.

2) sighting - increases the rider's front, back, and side visibility which signals their presence (i.e. i am a bike) and location to those sharing the road.

Currently no product on the market provides both lighting and sighting at a functionally high level. Our solution, Revolights, is a double threat. It represents the first fully functional lighting and sighting solution; more specifically, the first solution based on a spoke/rim/hub mounted design.

Let's use a few stats to paint a picture… 

In 2008 [1]:

●      The two most frequent causes for the 52,000 reported bicycle accidents are collisions with motor vehicles (58%) and individual falls (30%).

●      Of the 716 reported fatalities, 69% occurred in urban areas and 39% were between the hours of 5 p.m. and midnight.

●      Nearly 70% of all nighttime Bicycle-Car collisions are due to inadequate side visibility[2]

And finally our hypothesis… an increase in bicycle lighting and sighting has the potential to reduce rider injuries and fatalities. It's time to provide rider's with a single bike light solution that allows them to safely experience the joy of riding, regardless of the time of day. Let’s shift the bike light paradigm.

[Kickstarter]