Brilliant!

But how is this powered? Is it eco-friendly? Does it take batteries or is it powered by the cyclist himself somehow via a dynamo or something?

Yes, it's an excellent idea if it's green. If not it's lousy!

Plus, you've no way of knowing if the thing is working, so if you turn purely on the assumption that you've indicated that you will, then you're going to come a severe cropper if the batter is dead of a lead has come lose or something. That mistake in a car isn't so bad as you'd shielded, but on a bike, it could easily be fatal.

Steve N. Lee
author of eco-blog www.lionsledbysheep.com
and 'What if...?', an eco-suspense thriller with a philosophical twist.

I wear a backpack whenever i go out riding, and it would unfortunately hide the signals, not to mention that unless you are riding in a upright position, the signals would be hard to see...

there was another concept a while back that incorporated the turn signals into the arms of the jacket which I thought was much more svelte (and innovative).

Too bad it's where a (my) backpack normally sits.

"Too bad that's where my backpack sits"

Because obviously this idea couldn't be adapted or improved upon in the future (sarcasm). This is a neat idea for improving safety for cyclists. I am sure that it could be improved upon and incorporated into a variety of garments/accessories. While I wouldn't rely on this to change the habits of drivers around me, I think it would help in making the cyclist more visible to those around them. Visibility (as demonstrated in a recent TH post) is very important when riding on roads with cars.

Steven- If it's not GREEN it's lousy?

How do you qualify something as "green? I could see if the manufacturing process created huge amounts of dangerous chemicals and clubbed baby seals, but just because something is battery powered doesn't make it un-green. If this concept can improve cycling safety and encourage more people to ride bikes then it can have a good net impact on the environment. Sorry if I sound harsh, but it's Friday and I am really tired of hearing people simply ask "is it GREEN?" . Your dynamo question sounds like a good idea for a turn signal built into the bike.

Pop quiz: How many people on TH know the proper hand turn signals to use when riding a bike?

Wrist mounted controls, so just when you most need both hands on the bar you have to take one off to turn this on, and then again to turn it off. No thank you.

"Pop quiz: How many people on TH know the proper hand turn signals to use when riding a bike?"

I do, but learned long ago few drivers do! I instead point to where I am going to go, it seems far more effective. Maybe I'm just lucky, but it's seemed to work FAR better than the proper signals.

How are driver expected to see that more than a cyclist pointing in the direction that they are going?

Also if someone is tall and riding a road bike, a driver in a small car is never going to see the signal.

Finally if someone is wearing any sort of bag, which most commuters do, the jacket would just bee good in a club.

Good idea, but maybe try putting the lights lower. Closer to the butt.

Seconding MyDogRex: even if it is battery powered, using a few batteries to power some LEDs on my 12 mile bike ride into town is a lot more "green" than driving that distance. It'd be better if it weren't battery-powered, but to label it "lousy" is nit-picky.

For heavens sake people, stop blathering on about the little details and look at the overall concept. Encouraging and expanding on the design are far more effective and useful than picking out negatives and personal biases. OK in this instance wearing a backpack or riding a road bike would render this particular design ineffective, however the overall concept surely is a very promising advance in visibility and safety. If the LEDs can be positioned on the back, then they can equally well be positioned at the cuff. As to the notion that removing your hand from the handelbar is dangerous..............how do you normally signal your turn?

Um, why is the jacket black? For contrast with the LEDs? I think I'll take my chances with a bright-yellow jacket and arm signals; at least then I can be seen in the headlights. (Yes, I have lights on my bike, but I'm not always on my bike or turning a corner, and I need to be seen then, too.)

Yes, Tony, the overall idea of turn signals for bikes is great, but it's been around since at least the '70s; you could buy them in the Johnson-Smith catalog and mount them to your seat post or fender and control them with a switch on the handlebar. The only thing that seems to be new here is the idea of mounting them in your clothing instead, which seems to be of limited appeal.