GLOBARS in action (credit: Mitchell Silva)
How GLOBARS will work (credit: Mitchell Silva)
GLOBARS prototypes (credit: Mitchell Silva)
Mitchell Silva, an industrial designer from Boston recently created a prototype handlebar for bicycles with integrated LED lighting. This highly streamline efficient lighting system might become the next big thing in biking safety.
GloBars is the brain child of Mitchell Silva, an industrial designer from Boston, MA. Silva stripped down the metal front part of a bike’s drop bar and installed in its place a specially configured plastic tubing containing about 40 high efficiency LED bulbs. Using a small bottom on the back of the redesigned bars activates the lights. Amazingly the entire system requires only a tiny watch battery to operate (although Silva did not specify for how long the battery will last).
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The current prototype is still a work in progress as the entire system is not as rigid as a normal drop bar but Silva has plans to improve on that in future models either by using expanding foam on the inside of the bars to increase structural integrity or some other type of alloy. Other features might also be on the menu including directional signals and even USB recharge for the lights (powering the LEDs from paddling might also be something Silva should look into).
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In the accompanying images you can see how the Globars work (or actually will work once the product will be ready from prime time). Small switches are located at the lower part of the bar for left and right signaling and the bar ending will act as a USB recharge unit.
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More info and many more images can be found on Mitchell Silva coroflot webpage.
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TFOT covered many fascinating advanced concepts and prototype designs in the past including PreVue – a flexible screen that attached to a pregnant woman and allows the future parents to watch the unborn child in the womb. The Pearl River Necklace Bridge – a concept that not only puts the drivers on the correct side of the road physically, but helps reinforce that fact visually to help get the drivers into the mindset of driving on the opposite side of the road and more recently the RYNO Unicycle Electric Scooter.
