So that pedestrians and cyclists are better seen in the dark what makes an inventor so? Here is a report that fits the season. Inventing begins with the feeling: “That cannot be, that must be better!” One year ago, I heard that young person not visible enough in the dark. They prefer dark clothes. “In the dark season, road traffic is primarily about visibility,” warns the ÖAMTC. Here’s this phrase that makes me shudder when I think of people in a hurry with mobile phones and poor visibility: “Only four percent of pedestrians carry reflectors and a quarter of cyclists are out of lights.” My contribution to the solution I present here because these new reflectors can save lives. I hope that as many as possible hear, share their experiences and that more awareness arises. Sweden is a shining example to us, there you inevitably have more experience with darkness and reflectors. Looking A year ago, my search for a solution began. Everyone I talked with was aware that people in traffic were not visible enough, they had already experienced it. In a large sporting goods store, I heard, “We do not have a single reflector”. In the wholesale supermarket, I found exactly two pieces of a white, crest-shaped upholsterer with a reflective surface, smaller than a bank card, with the inscription “Sporting”. That’s when I started experimenting, first with a suspension on rubber straps. I tried to understand the aspects of technology and human behavior. I studied the technically flawless products that I found on the internet and wondered why they are little used by teenagers and adults.
A new way: the concept made the difference Finally I found, I could hardly believe, a really new solution. All the parts that make it up are well known, but the combination is something new: you will not find any reflective materials with this combination of properties. What is different? First, my reflectors are “reflectors only”, the entire surface is reflective gray. The dull gray or black elements are therefore maximally effective and unobtrusive at the same time. They leave the look of the clothes unchanged. If the focused light of a spotlight falls on them, they throw it back, but only in the direction of the light source. A chattering group of people, for example, will not be disturbed. Second, these reflectors are so small and light that they can always be there. The third point is for me (pardon!) “The hammer”: the movement, generated by the bio-dynamics of walking or cycling, is sent along with the light signal. Now we have a light signal modulated with a message. We have this message so deep within us that it – Respect, the man on the move! In our attention scale always (!) Top-ranked as the most important.
The features of “bi-dynamic only reflectors”: small and light: the reflectors fit into all hand, coat and trouser pockets. Convenient by simple and quick donning, no contact pressure, no weight. It takes 15 seconds for the wheel reflectors. Unobtrusive: a matte, gray area the size of one or two check cards. The elegance or coolness of the outfit remains. (Only the “cell phone case” is made of slightly more fabric.) It is available in yellow or dark blue and has a larger reflective surface, as shown below.) The entire surface reflects. The reflected light, however, only sees those who look exactly out of the direction from which a spotlight “beams” onto the reflector: for them, the dull gray surface becomes a mirror that sends back the bright light. The reflectors are placed at the maximum moving points, at the wrist or ankle. From here they send their bio-dynamically modulated message “Here a human being moved!” forward, sideways and backward.