Cycling vest shows how fast you are pedalling

Cycling vest shows how fast you are pedalling
An inventor has created a cycling vest that displays its wearer's speed to other road users.

By Jessica Salter Last Updated: 4:51PM BST 23 Sep 2008

US inventor Brady Clark said the speed vest would boost safety by making motorists more aware of bikes Photo: NATHANIEL FREEMAN

The high visibility Speed Vest is aimed at increasing road safety.
US inventor Brady Clark said it would boost safety by making motorists more aware of bikes.
The vest displays the wearer's speed on their backs in large, lighted numerals.
It uses a sensor on the wheel to send a signal to a microcontroller that calculates the speed and turns the numbers on and off on the vest.

The battery-operated vest can display a top speed of 70 miles per hour.
Mr Clark said: "The Speed Vest was invented because we were curious to know if putting more information in front of drivers might change their awareness of bicyclists.
"We suspect a lot of people don't realise that an average person can bike 10-15 mph."
He said he thought the vest could encourage motorists to take up cycling if they realised they could pedal at relatively high speeds.

Mykle Hansen, who engineered the vest, said: "Interestingly, we've been contacted by runners who want to wear the vest in races. How we do the speedometer for that, I don't yet know, but it's great that people see this invention and come up with uses we couldn't have predicted."
The Speed Vest is currently only used to teach motorists about road safety but could be available to buy early next year.