REVOLIGHTS

Like many bikers, Kent Frankovich pedaled at night and wondered if cars around him saw his dimly-lit tail light. He also bemoaned his headlamp that barely lighted his way.

Instead of abandoning his night-time bike rides, he used his mechanical engineering know-how to develop Revolights, an LED lighting system for bicycle wheels. He attached a ring of LED lights to his front and rear tires. When the wheels spin, the LEDs form a bright arc. The arc is so bright that it lights the path in front of him and makes the bike visible to cars behind him.

The lights are powered by rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, but a future version could use kinetic energy produced by the movement of the wheel. Frankovich is working with two colleagues on this project and is raising funds.