LUMALANE
With higher gas prices, global warming, and a heightened sense of environmental responsibility, many people are starting to look for alternative forms of transportation. For some, biking is a healthy and responsible choice; however, riding in traffic can be unsafe, even when riding in a designated bike lane. Bike lanes in most North American metropolitan areas are simply paths designated by a painted line. In addition, the bike lanes are situated between the flow of traffic on the left, and parked cars on the right, which provides no physical protection for cyclists, making them difficult to see by motorists. Until new bike paths can be designed and constructed that isolate cyclists from traffic, or for communities in which new paths cannot be created, the Luma Lane system provides a retro fit solution.

Luma Lane utilizes low cost, low-tech illumination, and RFID sensing technology to improve road safety for cyclists. Using LEDs, the pods can alert motorists to cyclists on the path, as well as provide basic illumination for dusk or night time riding. The pods are permanently affixed to the pavement, and the incremental ‘smart pod’ contains the RFID reader that detects a RFID system tag attached to the bikes of approaching cyclists. The pod’s exoskeleton is cast aluminum, and all components are easy to dissamble for upgrading, refurbishment, or discarding, making the system less impactful than the materials/chemicals used in applying current bike paths/street graphics.