6 ms·

Thanks! So the top light is on some big new 'eyestalk' above the handlebars? (I'm baffled how the Rice PR team could put this out without any diagram/photo/ren

by gojomo 4y ago

Thanks! So the top light is on some big new 'eyestalk' above the handlebars? (I'm baffled how the Rice PR team could put this out without any diagram/photo/rendering of the full proposed six-light-configuration, which could give the story 10x more interest & viral-forwarding legs, as well as improve the chances of its eventual life-saving adoption.)

mattficke 4y ago
The top light is a helmet-mounted light. They mention this in the full paper but it’s not clear from the abstract.
- Scoundreller 4y ago
  I have one of these on my bicycle helmet. Works great for getting a driver’s attention at a 4-way stop (the North American approach to right-of-way is deficient when everyone stops at the same time and is going straight). But a problematic tell when I see a head-turner walking on the sidewalk.
- nonrandomstring 4y ago
  My take is that this is about parallax [1], although I haven't read the paper and so that's an assumption. Creatures with forward facing stereoscopic vision (like us) can judge the speed and distance of an object if we can determine its size and see something of the background. In the dark, some information is missing when we rely on attached lights. Most people know the approximate size of a car, and so with two lights its easier to guess the distance (and crucially speed as the distance between the lights seems to change). I've noticed it's harder to cross a road when bikes are approaching than cars, because if you're looking along the axis of travel then its hard to gauge their speed. Attaching more than one light to a bike allows us to judge the speed better. It seems that it's irrelevant whether the spacing is horizontal or vertical for our visual systems to make this judgement. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallax https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallax
  - bsimpson 4y ago
    Motorcycles also suffer a depth perception problem in the daytime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doSDfIo61r0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doSDfIo61r0
  - gojomo 4y ago
    This research, & further your comment, makes me wonder: Customized cars often project vanity mood lighting down towards the pavement. (I believe the legality of such nonstandard lighting varies across jurisdictions.) Perhaps motorcycles could be required to project a large light-splash down, creating a more-visible 'light puddle' below them. It could even be something with very-sharp boundaries, & a standard oval size, so that the shape more strongly communicates distance/angle/speed.
    - nonrandomstring 4y ago
      That's really quite a good idea. I've seem bicycles in London projecting a green bike emblem into the road about 5 meters ahead using a laser. Two somewhat higher intensity spots on the road ahead would work as you indicate, At least in ideal road conditions.
      - 2muchcoffeeman 4y ago
        I’ve never seen this in Australia. But my main gripe with motor/push bikes is a) People riding without any lights. b) People riding without sufficient lightly. Re. b)If a bike comes up really close to the rear of your vehicle, and the rider has no reflective gear, the light can be obscured by your own vehicle. Re. a) I’m not sure if this is some Aussie thing. Especially with push bikes. The number of people I’ve seen on the road at night with no lighting and zero reflective gear.
        Nursie 4y ago
        So as a relatively recent migrant to Aus, I find that odd because AFAICT the regulations here are more strict than back in the UK. I.E. you must wear a helmet, you must have lights after dark, your bike must have a certain configuration of reflectors (two in the wheel, back/front of each pedals, front and rear) etc. From what I understand the reflector stuff is routinely ignored by 'the community' because it's outdated, rules out use of clipless setups etc. But the lights ... no idea. It's really really bad idea to cycle on the road at night with no lights. I wouldn't want to risk it, and it's scary as a driver when all of a sudden there's this dark figure out of nowhere.
zucked 4y ago
Seriously! As a motorcyclist (and cyclist) with a keen interest in not dying, I'm always looking for additional ways to be seen and predictable. This image should have been in the blog article, full stop. How is it _so_ buried?
- mistrial9 4y ago
  light is great but first on the list is an aftermarket horn .. LOUD
  - bsimpson 4y ago
    I was about to cruise through a yellow light today when a pickup truck in the center of a one way street abruptly decided to make a left turn across my path. (I was in the far left lane.) I slammed on my brakes and laid on my horn. I saw his face in his mirror. As he realized the noise he was hearing was my underpowered Vespa horn protesting the needless near-calamity, a smirk of victory beamed across his face. Guy nearly took me out today, and all I could do was trust my ABS brakes and give him Roadrunner's angriest "meep meep."
    - taylodl 4y ago
      Now you've learned your lesson to not cruise through yellow lights. Also, mind your lane position. I'm always in the left-most position to maximize driver's opportunity to see me.
  - guenthert 4y ago
    I can count on the fingers of one hand the times I used the horn on any of my motorcycles in two decades of riding (>100kmi, various situations, not much commute, less in the dark). In dangerous situation where honking might have helped, I typically was busy to either break or steer out of harms way. Aside that horns on m/c tend to be meek. They seem to be installed only because some law requires them.
    - aussiesnack 4y ago
harmonymeow 4y ago
getting helmet mounted light charging would be a chore. what if we only keep the other 5 lights? would it be that much less effective?
- bsimpson 4y ago
  Would it? I already keep my Cardo helmet speakers charged. Cyclists keep their helmet lights charged.

by gojomo 4y ago

mattficke 4y ago

The top light is a helmet-mounted light. They mention this in the full paper but it’s not clear from the abstract.

Scoundreller 4y ago
I have one of these on my bicycle helmet. Works great for getting a driver’s attention at a 4-way stop (the North American approach to right-of-way is deficient when everyone stops at the same time and is going straight). But a problematic tell when I see a head-turner walking on the sidewalk.
nonrandomstring 4y ago
My take is that this is about parallax [1], although I haven't read the paper and so that's an assumption. Creatures with forward facing stereoscopic vision (like us) can judge the speed and distance of an object if we can determine its size and see something of the background. In the dark, some information is missing when we rely on attached lights. Most people know the approximate size of a car, and so with two lights its easier to guess the distance (and crucially speed as the distance between the lights seems to change). I've noticed it's harder to cross a road when bikes are approaching than cars, because if you're looking along the axis of travel then its hard to gauge their speed. Attaching more than one light to a bike allows us to judge the speed better. It seems that it's irrelevant whether the spacing is horizontal or vertical for our visual systems to make this judgement. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallax https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallax
- bsimpson 4y ago
  Motorcycles also suffer a depth perception problem in the daytime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doSDfIo61r0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doSDfIo61r0
- gojomo 4y ago
  This research, & further your comment, makes me wonder: Customized cars often project vanity mood lighting down towards the pavement. (I believe the legality of such nonstandard lighting varies across jurisdictions.) Perhaps motorcycles could be required to project a large light-splash down, creating a more-visible 'light puddle' below them. It could even be something with very-sharp boundaries, & a standard oval size, so that the shape more strongly communicates distance/angle/speed.
  - nonrandomstring 4y ago
    That's really quite a good idea. I've seem bicycles in London projecting a green bike emblem into the road about 5 meters ahead using a laser. Two somewhat higher intensity spots on the road ahead would work as you indicate, At least in ideal road conditions.
    - 2muchcoffeeman 4y ago
      I’ve never seen this in Australia. But my main gripe with motor/push bikes is a) People riding without any lights. b) People riding without sufficient lightly. Re. b)If a bike comes up really close to the rear of your vehicle, and the rider has no reflective gear, the light can be obscured by your own vehicle. Re. a) I’m not sure if this is some Aussie thing. Especially with push bikes. The number of people I’ve seen on the road at night with no lighting and zero reflective gear.
      - Nursie 4y ago
        So as a relatively recent migrant to Aus, I find that odd because AFAICT the regulations here are more strict than back in the UK. I.E. you must wear a helmet, you must have lights after dark, your bike must have a certain configuration of reflectors (two in the wheel, back/front of each pedals, front and rear) etc. From what I understand the reflector stuff is routinely ignored by 'the community' because it's outdated, rules out use of clipless setups etc. But the lights ... no idea. It's really really bad idea to cycle on the road at night with no lights. I wouldn't want to risk it, and it's scary as a driver when all of a sudden there's this dark figure out of nowhere.

zucked 4y ago

Seriously! As a motorcyclist (and cyclist) with a keen interest in not dying, I'm always looking for additional ways to be seen and predictable. This image should have been in the blog article, full stop. How is it _so_ buried?

mistrial9 4y ago
light is great but first on the list is an aftermarket horn .. LOUD
- bsimpson 4y ago
  I was about to cruise through a yellow light today when a pickup truck in the center of a one way street abruptly decided to make a left turn across my path. (I was in the far left lane.) I slammed on my brakes and laid on my horn. I saw his face in his mirror. As he realized the noise he was hearing was my underpowered Vespa horn protesting the needless near-calamity, a smirk of victory beamed across his face. Guy nearly took me out today, and all I could do was trust my ABS brakes and give him Roadrunner's angriest "meep meep."
  - taylodl 4y ago
    Now you've learned your lesson to not cruise through yellow lights. Also, mind your lane position. I'm always in the left-most position to maximize driver's opportunity to see me.
- guenthert 4y ago
  I can count on the fingers of one hand the times I used the horn on any of my motorcycles in two decades of riding (>100kmi, various situations, not much commute, less in the dark). In dangerous situation where honking might have helped, I typically was busy to either break or steer out of harms way. Aside that horns on m/c tend to be meek. They seem to be installed only because some law requires them.
  - aussiesnack 4y ago

harmonymeow 4y ago

getting helmet mounted light charging would be a chore. what if we only keep the other 5 lights? would it be that much less effective?

bsimpson 4y ago
Would it? I already keep my Cardo helmet speakers charged. Cyclists keep their helmet lights charged.