We first heard about Blaze back in June of 2011. This handlebar-mounted laser cast a virtual bike in front of you to provide a signal to cars that you were in their blind spot. The system was developed by University of Brighton student Emily Brooke in the U.K. That was the last we heard of it, until now. In the nearly a year and a half that has passed Brooke has launched a company, developed a working prototype and launched a Kickstarter project to fund the creation of the first batch.
Brooke has taken the Blaze quite far in the past 18 months and this includes creating something worthy of the name. The Blaze unit, which consists of a 110mm machined aluminum tube, houses an LED that can emit more than 80 lumens along with a class II laser model, which is deemed safe for public use. The lens on the unit scatters the laser, and makes it inoperable if removed from the bike. The system runs on a 1500-mAh rechargeable lithium battery that lasts six hours at continuous illumination or 12 hours in flash mode.
The Blaze should be ready to light the way in April.
Blaze Kickstarter Site