To be seen, or not to be seen?, the latter being the preference of most urban cyclists. To that point, Unit 1 has introduced a new helmet lighting system called the Aura, comprising a helmet that’s equipped with integrated headlights and tail lights, along with wireless, handlebar-mounted turn indicators that are all designed to work collectively as one.
All of the Aura system’s lights consist of a strip of chip-on-board LEDs, which put out a combined 400 (helmet lights), 200 (bike headlight) and 120 (bike tail light) lumens, while a dedicated app is used to set their flashing pattern, check their battery level ect…
By pressing the left or right arrow on the remote activates both the helmet and the bike-mounted LEDs, creating a sequence of illumination that works in the direction the cyclists is turning. Moreover, a built-in accelerometer causes all of them to start flashing faster and brighter whenever the rider is coming to a stop.
Additionally, the helmet features three magnetically mounted interchangeable visors (a sunshade plus optional clear and tinted models), a quick-release magnetic buckle, MIPS impact protection system and a motion sensor that triggers the app to send an SOS text in the event of a crash. Also, both of the bike lights quickly pop on and off of front and rear magnetic mounts. Plus, either light can be used as the headlight or tail light, as they automatically illuminate either white or red depending on which mount they’re attached to.
According to Unit 1, depending on the mode, battery life can last up to three with the helmet lights flashing at 100%, or up to 18 and 30 hours for the bike-mounted lights and remote, respectively, while all of the electronics are IP67 water-resistant, meaning they can withstand being submerged to 1 meter (3.3 ft) for 30 minutes.
Unit 1’s Aura system quickly reached its crowd-funding goal, offering early-backers the special price of $249, as compared to the planned retail price of $420.
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