Why have ordinary bike lights when you can start a party instead? The Monkey Light Pro, up on Kickstarter now, uses 256 full-color LEDs to create a light show on your bike wheel. Images and animations in the style of 8-bit arcade graphics show from both sides as you ride down the street. You can design any graphics or messages you want yourself, uploaded via Bluetooth, or use pre-loaded images from artists.
The lights are fun and sustainable, too—they're designed to last as long as possible, made with environmentally-friendly materials, and run on common rechargeable batteries (not to mention the fact that the lights might inspire more people to get on bikes and out of their cars). Everything's also manufactured in California, as the designers explain:
How do we do it? Many companies just assume everything will be cheaper if they make it in China. We asked ourselves—is that really true? We developed our own program of Manufacturing Coupled Design. Our designers rapidly iterate based on direct integration with manufacturing. This happens in a way which is just not possible with a distant manufacturer and it allows us to remain cost-competitive and have a higher quality USA-made product.
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The lights are designed to mount on any bike wheel, and are tough enough to handle weather and the wear of riding on city streets. Want one of your own? Support their Kickstarter campaign.
This project will be featured in GOOD's Saturday series Push for Good—our guide to crowdfunding creative progress.
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