Brake Free Update

[bhern]

Picking up where another thread on the topic of additional/third brake lights left off, I received my beta test unit of the almost-ready-for-primetime Brake Free smart brake light today. Here is a picture of it mounted on my helmet, being charged up for its maiden voyage:



(The lights are just in the "I'm charging" display. Here's a picture of it with the full display in running lights mode -- you can choose from several patterns. I can't give you a picture with it in "stopping/slowing" mode because (a) I'm not coordinated enough to do it on my own, and (b) even if I did catch it, the light saturates my phone's camera to where it would just be a red blur. Suffice it to say it will be visible.)



I'll post updates on the testing once I have some verifiable feedback. Looks good and was easy to mount, and I'm eager to see how well it performs.

(For those not familiar with Brake Free, it's the culmination of a crowdfunded development project to produce an independent, disconnected helmet light that will detect deceleration to warn of same, whether or not the bike's brake is engaged. The project is almost 2 years overdue, but the final beta testing is taking place now and barring any major catastrophes, the product will begin shipping in January.)

 

[Gwolf]

That is using your imagination. Not just imagining, but doing the work it takes to make what you imagined a reality. Nice work!

 

[Mikey]

Love the idea!! Would love to do it on my snowmobile helmet!! Seeing how my wife rides with me on the spider don't think she would like it on the bike!!:2thumbs: Good idea!!!

 

[bhern]

Glad to hear folks like the idea -- I do, too! -- but it's definitely not *my* idea. I'm just one of the (many) project backers on Indiegogo, and was happy to be picked as a beta tester for the product to hopefully identify any final issues before it ships.

Feel free to check it out at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/brakefree-the-smart-brake-light-for-motorcyclists#/

Just got back from the initial ride with it aboard, and it's definitely visible. I'll be doing some testing with my kids riding behind to make sure it's doing a reasonable job of detecting deceleration correctly.

(Meant to add that the light attaches via a small mechanical bracket, not directly to the helmet, so you can just add a second bracket to your passenger's helmet -- it sticks on with some of that amazing 3M adhesive that is rock solid -- and shift the light from the front seat operator to the back seat rider and provide the same level of visibility and safety when riding two-up.)

 

[bhern]

Did my first bit of attended testing this evening. Apologies for the quality -- phone cameras are pretty easily saturated, but with the sound up you can get a reasonable sense of the performance of the deceleration sensing action, as I'm giving the play by play from the Spyder as I accelerate and decelerate. The only place it didn't properly detect deceleration was in a downhill segment, meaning I must have been slowing gradually enough that it didn't trigger. The mere fact of the light is a win from a visibility standpoint, but I'm pretty pleased with how it did tonight. I'll be doing some more testing at higher speeds and during the day next.

 

[JKMSPYDER]

I really like the concept. I rarely ride at night but would be interested to know how visible it is in daylight.

 

[als]

From what I can see I like the additional "high" brake light - however I do not care for the "pulsing" of the light . I find it very distracting.
Very nice concept.

 

[larryd]

I'm not sure, but pulsing red lights may only be allowed on certain emergency vehicles????

Otherwise I like the idea...

 

[ARtraveler]

I mostly like it.

I too, am not a fan of the constant pulsing. I don't like modulators on front lights of MC's either. But that is another subject.

The turn signal function is a bit confusing also. I confused it with the modulation one time. I was looking at a "left" turn and you decided to go "right."

Please keep us posted. I have trunk lights on both the current Spyders...so a decision to buy would depend on some other factors for me.

 

[CopperSpyder]

I mostly like it.

I too, am not a fan of the constant pulsing. I don't like modulators on front lights of MC's either. But that is another subject.

The turn signal function is a bit confusing also. I confused it with the modulation one time. I was looking at a "left" turn and you decided to go "right."

Please keep us posted. I have trunk lights on both the current Spyders...so a decision to buy would depend on some other factors for me.

:agree: The constant pulsing is a no go for me.

 

[bhern]

From what I can see I like the additional "high" brake light - however I do not care for the "pulsing" of the light . I find it very distracting.
Very nice concept.

I think I agree as well, especially for night time ryding. There are three options for the nominal (just "on") light display. I'll make sure I show them as well. In addition to the pulsing option I had on last night, there is a steady on that intensifies when decelerating -- basically like a standard automobile third tail light -- and a minimal "on" light (just a few LEDs) that again is in full display when decelerating. I suspect I'll land on the standard third tail light mode for the most part, but wanted to see what the blinking/pulsing option looked like from the back.

ARtraveler mentioned confusion with a turn signal; there is no linkage between the Brake Free light and directional turns or any of the circuitry on the Spyder; it may simply have been the pulsing effect or me swiveling my head here and there. The Brake Free light is simply to provide another source of visibility when in normal "on" mode and a visible sign of braking in cases where the rider is only using engine braking to decelerate.

Thanks for the feedback, and I'll have some further video over the weekend. From my end, I'm very happy with what I've seen/experienced thus far.

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

however I do not care for the "pulsing" of the light . I find it very distracting.
Very nice concept.

That's why it's effective. I'd much rather have the other driver see me and be po'd than not see me and thus not be po'd, and then hit me!

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

I'm not sure, but pulsing red lights may only be allowed on certain emergency vehicles????

Otherwise I like the idea...

Here is an interpretation from NHTSA in a letter to a Taiwan inventor. https://www.nhtsa.gov/interpretations/9711

Under the Federal regulations in the United States, motor vehicles must be manufactured so that the third brake light (or "center highmounted stop lamp" as we call it) and all other stop lamps are steady-burning when they are in use.

After the vehicle is sold, Federal law prohibits any manufacturer, dealer, distributor, or motor vehicle repair business from installing the sensor to modify the performance of the third brake light and cause it to flash.

However, Federal law does not prohibit the owner of the car from installing the sensor. In this circumstance, the law of the State in which the vehicle is operated must be consulted to determine whether a flashing third brake light is permissible. We are not able to answer questions about State laws. If you wish an opinion on State laws governing flashing third brake lights, you should write the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, 4600 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Va. 22203.

I've never had any LEO question me about my flashing high mount brake light. On the contrary several people have commented about how noticeable I am with it.

 

[Flamewinger]

I have always understood that Fed law allows the brake light to flash for 4 seconds then must be steady. I would not want a constantly flashing light. Running and brake only with eye catching flash sequence for the 4 seconds then solid. Nice idea although there are other helmet brake lights on the market.

 

[bhern]

Was able to get out in the late afternoon yesterday with my son driving and videoing in the chase vehicle; because his phone can't be videoing and on a call at the same time, you'll see me using my left hand to indicate when I'm easing off the throttle in this video. This was on an in-town highway with a 60 mph speed limit (but with traffic lights and various on/off access points), so a decent indicator of how it will perform at higher speeds.

You'll see that it tracked fairly well -- there was still one where my deceleration was so gradual that it didn't trigger, but the intent of the designers was to be biased *against* false positives, so it's consistent with that approach. The display mode on this run was the "all on, intensify when braking" option. You will see some flicker in spots, which is a combination of the limitations of the camera (think video capture of PC screens in movies), and also a tiny portion of the display that does blink when underway.

I think this would be my preference for night riding; there's a third mode, "mostly off, full display when braking" that I will test in another daytime run to see how it fares. My thinking is that there is not as much value add for the helmet light when under normal conditions during the day as there is at night, and that maximizing the contrast (from nothing to being fully lit up) when decelerating during the day will provide the best safety benefit. Appreciate everyone's opinion, whether confirming or contrary.

 

[CopperSpyder]

I dont think it works well, seems to work some time but not all the time. On the off ramp the brake lights were on but the helmet light was not. I did like that mode better than the flashing all the time mode.

 

[bhern]

I dont think it works well, seems to work some time but not all the time. On the off ramp the brake lights were on but the helmet light was not. I did like that mode better than the flashing all the time mode.

Appreciate the input, but I disagree with the "I don't think it works well" POV; easier for me to make that point since my data is not limited to the amateur video job! Basically, there were 7 deceleration events on the video; the Brake Free light nailed the first 4 -- the fourth one it noted before I got my hand up, which is operator error, not light error. Then there was the one it missed, followed by another slow deceleration that it did trigger on, albeit very briefly, followed by the offramp, during which it did light up, although after the brake lights went on.

Again, the light is completely disconnected from any of the bike's systems. It's only using deceleration as its triggering mechanism, so in cases like the offramp where my foot was probably lingering over the brake pedal before really slowing down, you will see the brake lights firing before or even without the helmet doing so.

The key is what I noted about the design bias: no false positives. The helmet has never signaled braking when I wasn't actually slowing down, and the feedback from other beta testers is confirming that it's working in that fashion.

So at the absolute worst -- i.e., you ALWAYS slow down in a graceful, steady, lengthy fashion, the helmet light is just that, an extra light that might occasionally get you noticed when someone isn't as attentive as they should be. (Not as big a problem for a Spyder lit up the way most of us do with farkles, but there you are.)

But for the other beta testers and me, it seems to be catching between 75% and 90% of our engine braking events without being the boy who cried wolf and signalling a false alarm.

I'm pretty pleased with the results, and agree with you on the light setting -- the constant flashing, while exacerbated by the video effect (which flickers the view more than it actually appears), would be a bit more distracting than I want to be in most settings, IdahoMtnSpyder's point notwithstanding. One of the feature requests that they'll be working on is additional lighting pattern options; we'll see what they can do after deployment.

Again, appreciate the thoughts -- I certainly understand it won't be everyone's cup of tea, but for an ATGATTer like me, I think I'm going to really like having it.

 

[Flamewinger]

Unless it works in conjunction with the tail lights is isn't very noticeable, Kinda why many mfg's make added tail lights that are more accepted as vehicle indicators. Helmet lights should work with the brake lights so the drivers behind understand what the lights are indicating.

 

[bhern]

Unless it works in conjunction with the tail lights is isn't very noticeable, Kinda why many mfg's make added tail lights that are more accepted as vehicle indicators. Helmet lights should work with the brake lights so the drivers behind understand what the lights are indicating.

Except that's exactly the gap it's covering: when you're not braking to slow down. By NOT working in tandem with the braking system, it has the ability to warn a driver to your rear of your slowdown.