Sometimes the best ideas are really simple ones. And sometimes a good way to promote health is to prevent injury. Those two concepts more or less sum up the idea behind the Turn Signal Gloves from Zackees. The gloves have a strip of high-brightness LEDs sewn into the back. These lights are arranged in a sideways chevron, like the head of an arrow.
To use the gloves, you press your thumb against the base of your forefinger. This brings two electrical contacts together, completing the circuit that causes the lights to flash. Bicyclists can raise their hand upright to signal their intention to turn, and the flashing lights will help alert any car drivers behind them. By the same token, activating the lights when the rider’s hand is on the handlebars can alert oncoming traffic to a planned turn. The company also sees the gloves as helpful to runners, as a way to increase their visibility when crossing streets at dusk or at night.
The gloves rely on button batteries for power, and are designed to go three to six months without changing. They can use disposable or rechargeable batteries; the gloves are designed to be even brighter with rechargeable batteries, and the company has even built its own USB charger for button batteries. The spandex gloves are washable, with leather palms and reflective trim. The gloves are available for pre-order at $75, though the company website indicates that the product was supposed to start shipping in July. The updates on their Kickstarter project site (which closed last January after raising more than twice their $35,000 goal) indicates that there have been delays in delivering the gloves, but the details are only available to those who backed the campaign.
