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Hammerhead simplifies bike navigation through smartphone-connected LED clip

Hammerhead simplifies bike navigation through smartphone-connected LED clip

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Biking is one of the most efficient ways to get around town, so long as you know where you're going. For cyclists who don't, Hammerhead Navigation thinks it has one of the simplest ways to get directions without lifting eyes from the road. Its T-shaped device, the Hammerhead, clips onto a bike's handlebars and lights up LEDs along its left or right side when the rider is approaching a turn that they need to take. It receives directions by connecting to a smartphone app and constantly pinging its GPS to detect where the rider is. The hope is that by simply directing cyclists to head either left or right, that the Hammerhead can provide turn-by-turn directions without being a distraction.

crowdsourcing turn-by-turn directions

Hammerhead Navigation is now running a crowdfunding campaign in order to get the device made. It's looking for $145,000 and has 30 days remaining in its campaign. But while the Hammerhead's hardware may be an innovative way to give directions, the directions that it can give may turn out to be its weakest point. The device will only work with a partner app for iOS and Android, and that app will rely exclusively on crowdsourced routes. While this means that riders could draw up a route ahead of time, they seemingly wouldn't be able to get cycling directions as simply as they could through Google Maps. Even so, the Hammerhead may well be a much safer solution than clipping a smartphone onto your handlebars.