Hi,
If this is not appropriate here, do tell me and I will delete the post. I am mostly a commuter (I do about 6000 kms a year), I was a bit worried about cycling at night. Which is when I realized that utilizing the backpack, which is the most visible part of a commuter cyclist, to improve safety is such a natural idea! Over 6 moths, I started building this backpack and several prototypes later, I think we got it right! Presenting to you - Aster, the safest commute backpack in the world! Do check it out at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/1656733 .
I took inspiration from cars and motorcycles and built in a turn indicator, automatic brake lights, rear lights visible from 250M/800ft, static profile lights and door-me-not front lights. The indicators are controlled by a handlebar unit via Bluetooth and the backpack can be configured through an app.
Of course, as a cyclist, it gave me an opportunity to rethink the backpack from a cyclist point of view too! For example, an "Emergency contact info" slot is just basic and should have been there in every cycling backpack! Also, I decided to put in reflectors that were visible from multiple angles!
I finally launched the backpack on Indiegogo. I would love to hear feedback from the community. This is still a work in progress, of course, so would love to hear any ideas on how else we can improve safety through this!
Thanks
Gandharv
