Kickstarter has been fertile ground for bicycle accessories. There have been smart handlebars, anti-theft bike lights, and wheel LEDs. Joining that illustrious lineup is Monkey Light Pro, a bike wheel display system that creates lit-up images and animations.
The Monkey Light Pro consists of four bars with 256 full-color LEDs, which mount inside the bike wheel. A Web-based application lets you build a playlist of images or animations to run on the system. Download that information to the device via Bluetooth and go riding. The images are stabilized at speeds between 10 and 40 mph and the battery lasts for up to 8 hours.
MonkeyLectric wants to take the Monkey Light Pro from hand-built prototypes to production models. So far, the project is more than halfway to its $180,000 goal with 54 days left.
Perhaps the biggest drawback is the cost. Early birds got in at $495 for a one-wheel system. The lowest pledge price available right now is $695. The regular pledge is $895. There are discounts for buying a pair, but it’s still more than some people pay for a bike.
For those with the cash and desire, Monkey Light Pro looks like a whole lot of fun. You can start off with the preloaded art or use your own images or animations. Share a message or simply make yourself more visible at night. It’s a real head-turner.
