Stay safe and stylish with this futuristic e-bike lighting system

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A Maker has created a colorful bike lighting system that can be easily controlled with your smartphone. 

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Philip Verbeek — who many of you may recall from his impressive littleBits and LEGO creations — has developed an innovative, app-controlled bicycle lighting system. Inspired by the city of Masdar, the Maker and eight other designers decided to dream up the electronic two-wheeler of tomorrow.

The aptly named IOMbike is equipped with visual indicators for drivers sharing the road, as well as easy-to-use, interactive steering capabilities. Responsible for the electronics, Verbeek embedded a series of LED lights inside the handlebars. Not only does this enhance the over aesthetics of the futuristic ride, but allows for cyclists to stay safe and visible at night.

Verbeek’s advanced lighting system boasts left and right turn signals along brake lights, much like the recent Kickstarter campaign for the Lumos smart helmet. Aside from that, it even includes various disco modes for a little extra pizazz. Switching between modes is done by simply pressing a red button located alongside the hand grips or by connecting the IOMbike to your smartphone using the IOMbike’s accompanying Android app.

At the heart of the unit lies an ATmega328P, while a Bluetooth module enables wireless communication between the bike and the app. What’s more, riders can unlock all sorts of different features such as a speedometer and odometer.

“The idea is to give feedback to the user and let them control their IOMbike,” the Maker concludes.

Want to take a closer look at the next-gen e-bike? Head over to the project’s official page here, or watch it in action below.