Car maker Volvo has created a bike cycling safety spray that could help save lives and limbs as the product makes bikes much more visible during nighttime rides.
Dubbed LifePaint, the reflective spray paint, which isn't noticeable during daylight hours, shines bright when hit by a car headlight and illuminates a bike and its rider to help prevent riders from getting hit by vehicles.
Advertising firm GreyLondon, which boasts Volvo as a client, helped develop the safety spray.
"The spray is completely invisible," said Hollie Newton, Grey London's creative director.
According to one report, nearly 19,000 bike riders are hurt or killed in UK road incidents.
The spray can be applied to a bike, a rider's helmet, and clothing as well as other items that may need to be illuminated during evening hour recreation, such as canine collars and leashes, runners shoes, backpacks and strollers.
The spray washes off and does not damage the material that it is applied to, according to its manufacturer. If not removed, the spray will remain in place for up to 10 days.
The spray can be used on the cyclist's helmet, coat, trousers and even the bike's frame. It dries transparent, washes off and will not affect the material it is sprayed on.
Right now it's only available in pilot in six UK bike stores located in Kent and London. The product may become available in other countries dependent on UK sales.
The Netherlands may prove a tremendous sales region given one of three commuters view cycling as their prime mode of transportation.
Such illuminating paint technologies have had some development issues as makers find that heavy rain and moisture can fade the paint rather quickly, claim some reports. One Netherland pilot project revealed that road markings created by using such glow-in-the-dark spray did not last very long due to big moisture events.
As Tech Times reported earlier this year Nissan launched its own glow-in-the-dark paint in one of its vehicles.
Nissan applied the paint, whose glow is due to solar energy absorption, to its Leaf all-electric vehicle as a way to showcase the energy-saving technology approach.
The automobile manufacturer teamed up with Hamish Scott, the inventor of Starpath paint. Starpath can absorb ultraviolet energy in one day and that glow will then last eight to 10 hours at night.
