With the rising popularity of nighttime exercises comes a higher rate of accidents. Despite this, many choose not to wear safety gear because they tend to be aesthetically offensive. Therefore, the team at Niports Inc. created the Specter.
The Specter is a lightweight aluminum band studded with LEDs that displays images and messages that can be selected or created using the companion Specter app, perfect for keeping active types visible at night. But the LEDs don’t just display the message themselves. Rather, when the band is moved, it creates a streak of light that forms the image or message using the eye’s penchant for stringing together images — similar to how it does with frames in a movie. And with the Specter’s capacity to display over 16 million colors, users can be sure the message is seen no matter if they’re running, skateboarding, or biking — loud and clear. Each Specter goes for $59 and is expected to be shipped by December 2016. The Kickstarter campaign is looking for $30,000 by August 31st, 2016.
Compared to the more straightforward Vega Edge and Halo Belt 2.0, the Specter adds a bevy of customizable display options for those who want to stay safe and be a little quirky at the same time. While the idea is novel, there’s no way to know how easy it is to see the messages created and without a practical reason to spend time creating them, the allure is lost on all but the younger crowd.