While many of us know how to ride a bike, it seems like there are a ton of ways to improve them. We have a place to add a bottle of water (or a bottle of anything!), bells and whistles of all varieties, and neat ways to hang them when we’re done. But what about making your total experience on the bike more enjoyable and safer? That’s where SmartHalo comes in.
SmartHalo has the unique ability to turn any bike into a smart bike. Using Bluetooth Low Energy, you’re able to connect to your smartphone to get turn by turn directions and anything else you could need while on your bike. The simplistic and informative interface illuminates to give you a load of information all while not distracting you.
SmartHalo is designed to be everything you need in one place. With turn-by-turn directions, it’s your map. With an automatic sensor for darkness, it’s your light. With seamless integration and notifications for calls and texts, it’s your personal assistant. With metrics for time, distance, calories, speed, and elevation; it’s your fitness tracker. The most advantageous thing is that you can keep your phone tucked away from weather or accidental drops and still get all of the information you need. Additionally, all of these features are automatic when you start riding the bike and they automatically turn off when you’re done.
The navigation feature relies on your Wi-Fi or network signal to access Google Maps on your phone. The halo-style light on the front of SmartHalo illuminates according to the directions; if you need to make a right the lights illuminate green on the right and a white light blinks to show you how close the turn is. With the unique circular lights, you can be alerted to any sort of turn. If you need to make a sort-of-right-turn-but-kinda-straight the lights will show this as well. SmartHalo will also pick the safest and quickest route; just enter your destination and let the app take over.
The best part of SmartHalo is that although it’s rather remarkable, it’s actually pretty unremarkable; it seems minimalist and almost like it doesn’t do anything. And that’s the point. SmartHalo is designed to not draw attention to your bike or the device itself. Equipped with tamper-proof screws (for which you have a special key) and an alarm system (that you can turn off with your phone or a special tapping pattern), you bike is thief-proof in addition to everything else. The designers explain that SmartHalo should be a mix of sophistication and functionality – and they hit the nail on the head.
SmartHalo’s specs are what keeps this device so unique. It fits virtually any bike (with handlebars), is nature-resistant, and is only 81mm in diameter and 67mm deep including the clip. The battery will last you up to three weeks with normal usage and can be easily charged via USB and at 250 lumens, the light display is bright yet not intrusive.
Currently live on Kickstarter, this clever device has surpassed its goal with over $475k from backers and their stretch goals are pretty cool, too. They’ve already unlocked a tapable klaxon (tap the interface to sound a bell), a custom speedometer (enter your max speed in the app to see how close you can get), and “as the crow flies” directions (SmartHalo will simply show you the direction of your destination and you can get there however you’d like). The team hope to also add a wireless charger.
SmartHalo can be pre-ordered for $99 (£65) and will retail for $149 (£97). The units will begin to be delivered in May 2016.
