UK based Wearable Technologies Ltd, under their brand Visijax, have two cool LED jackets for the urban cyclist that wants to be seen. Small sealed strips of LED’s are integrated around the light weight jackets; raising an arm will trigger a flashing turn signal that cancels after 5 seconds. The jackets use high performance materials such as Teflon coatings, breathable fabrics, as well as venting areas to maintain comfort. The jacket prices vary from £79.99 (Highlight) to £99.99 (Commuter) which encouragingly makes these electronic clothes affordable and brings them into the mainstream.
The turn indicator in operation
The highlight jacket
A video of the jackets in action
Interestingly, from a business perspective the company seems to be pursuing a dual strategy. Visijax is promoting the clothes while the Wearable Technologies Ltd web-site talks about IP licensing, in particular they have acquired the Eleksen patents. Eleksen used to make a nice material that was pressure and location sensitive, so great for things like soft controls. However, Eleksen went into administration in 2007. The company was sold by the administrators to Peratech. However, I note that Paratech itself went into administration in early 2014. So at some point the IP moved from Peratech to Wearable Technologies Ltd. It is interesting to see the merry-go-round that technology IP can take in modern times. The good thing is that the Eleksen material should become available again.
Source: Mashables