Having lights on your bicycle isn’t just an optional extra — it’s a legal requirement in most places, provided that you wish to cycle after it’s dark. Well, you’ve probably never seen a bike light quite like the one created by U.K. startup Beryl, though. Called the Laserlight Core, it’s a smart projection system that’s designed for safer cycling. It works by projecting an image of a cyclist 20 feet in front of you as you ride. Think of it as your own attention-grabbing, cycling-themed Bat-Signal, and you won’t be too far wrong.
“We have combined a high-spec white front light with the patented Beryl laser projection, allowing cyclists to both see and be seen, beaming out blind spots as they ride through the city,” Beryl CEO Emily Brooke told Digital Trends. “The light can function either as a standard front light or, with [the] laser enabled, with a push of a button.”
Beryl grew out of Brooke’s Product Design degree at Brighton University in the U.K. While she was there, she read about the high number of bike accidents that happen as the result of bikes being in a car’s blind spot. Brooke went on to create the first Beryl light prototype, which quickly caught the attention of transport officials in London. They incorporated it into the London bike share scheme in 2015, and it has since been piloted in New York, Montreal, and — very soon — Glasgow, Scotland.
The Laserlight Core is the company’s second-generation light, incorporating improvements in laser technology to produce Beryl’s clearest, most defined laser projection to date. It also boasts other improvements over its predecessor, the Laserlight Blaze. These include a “day flash mode,” lighter casing, and a tool-free bracket with silicone band mount.
“The Laserlight is a patented technology, and so Beryl is the only company that uses the forward image projection,” Brooke said. “We believe that the Laserlight is unique in the space, as it is focusing on strategic visibility: Visibility where it really matters.”
As ever, we offer our usual warnings about the potential risks inherent in Kickstarter campaigns — even when the company has successfully shipped products previously. If you’re keen to go ahead and get involved, however, head over to the project’s crowdfunding page, where you can pledge your dough. Prices start at $75, and shipping is set to take place in December.
With any luck, that should mean it’s poised to be a great holiday gift for the cycling enthusiast in your life.
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