Monkey Light Pro: Animate Your Bike Wheels

We’ve seen the Revolights and how a LED lighting system integrated in your bike’s wheels can be quite a life-saver on the road at night, but this new project is taking the concept of wheel lights even further.

If you want your bike to look like a funky disco ball, you should really try out the Monkey Light Pro system from Northern Carolina company MonkeyLectric. With the light show this system can put on, you’re sure to be spotted by drivers from miles away.

The Monkey Light Pro LED system is activated by motion, so it only works while you’re riding your bike, which saves up power. The wheel light system consists of four rows of LEDs, tied together inside the bike wheel. It can be used with almost all common wheel types. The lights are also waterproof, so you won’t have to worry that riding in the rain will damage them.

The system also contains sensors that track the speed and rotation direction, and is based on a phenomenon known as persistence of vision – the flashing LED lights are actually processed into a recognizable image by the human brain. Monkey Light Pro can thus create stable images on your wheels at speeds of 10 to 40 miles per hour.

The entire array weighs about 500 grams and is powered by a 700 mAh lithium polymer battery that can run 3-8 hours at full brightness and about 48 hours at reduced brightness. The lights offer clear visibility in the evening, when it’s overcast and indoors and cannot be seen in bright sunlight.

The system can store up to 1,000 image frames and you can use the companion software provided by MonkeyLectric to create your own playlist, with the images and animations you want, or to choose from the company’s custom artwork, especially created by ten different artists.

MonkeyLectric launched a crowdfunding campaign for the Monkey Light Pro on Kickstarter, with an $180,000 goal. The company is planning to further develop the system and add increased wireless capacities and the possibility of USB charging. Early bidders can get the Monkey Light Pro for $695.

[Image via Kickstarter]