Modular bicycle-pedal with a detachable lamp makes night-time biking much safer

There’s a weird irony in the fact that riding a bicycle is good for the planet, but sometimes isn’t safe for the rider. A startling majority of bicycle accidents happen because sometimes it’s difficult to notice a cyclist (it doesn’t help that bicycles are silent either), especially in low-light settings. The UFO Light aims at solving that problem, by being more than just a visual indicator to help you spot cyclists on the road in the dark.

The UFO Lights are a pair of pretty standard looking pedals, albeit with a key difference. They come with detachable lamp modules that sit flush at the end of each pedal, and you can switch them on to help other vehicles on the road see you better. The lamp units come with 300-lumen LEDs on the inside that automatically switch on when you begin riding, and turn red when you decelerate, just like a taillight would. The lights move as your pedals rotate, creating a motion pattern that makes them easily visible in the dark – allowing cars, bikes, larger vehicles, and even pedestrians to be alerted of your presence. Beams are even cast on the road below to create a 1-meter halo, giving other vehicles a buffer zone as they overtake you.

The detachable lamps work as standalone lights too, and can easily be unplugged from the pedal and carried around with you. Connecting the dots between avid bicyclists and outdoor-lovers, the UFO Lights can even be attached to backpacks to help people in a group keep tabs on each other. The UFO Lights can easily be charged via any USB device or power-bank, and given the scenarios in which they’re built to operate, it helps that they’re dust and waterproof too!

Designer: Dinika Soni