Riding a bike through any environment is already somewhat dangerous depending on the amount of pedestrian traffic and cars present. What makes it even more dangerous is the use of headphones while riding, something many people do that significantly increases the risk of serious, or even fatal, injury.
People love their music, though, and aren’t so easily persuaded away from it. BikeMic makes the choice easy by providing a mic that connects headphones with its music device to funnel in ambient noises. This way, those noises are mixed in with the music to give riders the best of both worlds. With BikeMic, riders can still hear the cars, people, and conversations around them, all without having to take their headphones off.
There’s no doubt others won’t notice it either, due to its odd-looking, fluffy orange form, which acts as a wind screen. A BikeMic goes for either $69 or $89 and is expected in October 2015 or March 2016. The $100,000 is looking to achieve its goal by June 29, 2015.
The BikeMic is a promising idea that truly addresses a small problem many, many people have everywhere — even if they’re not aware of it. Riding with one of your most powerful senses cut of is indeed a recipe for disaster, so a BikeMic is indeed useful not only bike riders but skateboarders, rollerbladers, etc. Its form factor, even if functional, will throw people off, though.