Backtracker

@tylr Backtracker has a few different backlight "modes", we could program an extra mode in, for cases where you want a constant bright low flickering frequency by default when no cars are detected. But we believe a backlight that changes to a higher flickering frequency and super brightness when a car approaches, draws the car drivers attention more than what a constantly flickering light would do.

@denho_g As a biker, I'm curious about your statement here. When you say "we believe," have you ever done any research into this? Is there any research? I hope so, just because I'd hate to see a product decision that could impact someones live being made in a flippant manner!

@denho_g thanks for the reply. Have you found any research to support your beliefs?

@tylr & @ffumarola thanks for your feedback guys! @tylr The backlight is one aspect, that responds to the car's acceleration and distance from the cyclist, increasing in brightness and intensity as the car approaches, thus alerting the driver with stronger and stronger signals as the gap between cyclist and driver gets smaller and more dangerous. @ffumarola I'm sure you can quite intuitively see how this approach is a lot more eye-catching and informative to the driver. But the second aspect is that Backtracker tells you, as the cyclist what the traffic situation looks like behind you, especially when visibility is bad i.e. low light, fog etc. Both these aspects are clearly seen in this video!

@tylr Unfortunately we haven’t found any research to support this yet. That is why we can’t state it as a fact, and just as a belief of ours. We are just trying to find innovative ways to make cycling safer. If we were a big bicycle lighting manufacturer, we would have definitely funded research to prove this ;) But our common sense tells us that something with an increasing frequency and brightness draws more attention. But, if you don’t believe this yourself, it might not be a bad idea to keep your existing backlight on the bike as well, and just use it for the car detecting features? We've tested our prototype by driving up behind someone using the device and our experience is that it provides an intuitive sense of distance and is better at getting and keeping a driver's attention. However, a proper study to scientifically prove it and objectively measure driver awareness would probably require a significant budget and is something that we would love to do if we can get funding.

@deekay In a city, Backtracker could help to let you know when there are gaps in the traffic so that you don’t constantly have to look over your shoulder to try and identify the most opportune moment to change lanes, or know when to turn.

@deekay Thanks for the positive feedback! Just as when surrounded by a lot of traffic, your senses (eyes, ears etc.) don't saturate with an information overload. Rather, you pay attention when you need to make a decision. Similarly, Backtracker does not bombard one with information, it acts as another sensory input. When you wish to change lanes or make a turn, a quick glance down will you tell you what the traffic behind you looks like for the next 140m. Have a look at this video of Backtracker used in a 'traffic' scenario:

@kirillzubovsky Good question! Backtracker features a custom designed 24 GHz radar antenna that is able to detect a car's distance, speed and radar cross section (RCS). We try to give the cyclist a sense of the 'threat level', which we calculate using the RCS (size of the vehicle), its speed relative to the average speed of neighboring traffic (over a period of time) and its acceleration. With this in mind, a bicycle will have a much lower RCS and therefore much lower threat level than say, a car. This being said any obstructions behind Backtracker may have a negative impact on performance. i.e. if there is a hunk of metal immediately behind the radar, the performance will be less than optimal.

@ronnyjim cool. thanks for the explanation.

@mark__a We don't want to make any safety claims, but the core feature of Backtracker is that it shows cyclists what's going on behind them...even if visibility is low, or if your hearing is impaired for some reason. The backlight is a bit of a bonus feature.

@adii Thanks Adii! We're passionate about what we're doing here. We believe that technology can supercharge our sensory ability. We hope you guys are as excited as we are!

@clarklab Thanks for the feedback, we are constantly trying to improve the web-site content.