Wind-Power Bicycle Lamp

red dot: best of the best
red dot award: product design 2006

A worthwhile companion
The forms of bicycle lamps have always followed developments in the bicycle. The turn of the century, for instance, saw the advent of carbide lamps, which were unreliable and produced only weak illumination. Today, bicycle headlights and their designs are matched to ever more sophisticated bicycles and their forms correspond to the most recent bicycle models. The wind-powered bicycle headlight combines an innovative yet almost self-evident energy-producing technology with a reduced language of form. It is powered by converting the wind force produced by a moving bicycle into light. More precisely, the wind energy feeds a low-power yet extremely bright LED lamp with a DC voltage of 3.4 volts and 50mA. Thus, at night, the headlight offers good quality, powerful illumination of up to 1700 lux. Both a highly economical and ecological aspect of this design: the energy produced by the moving bicycle is stored in a rechargeable lithium battery - avoiding the need for replacement batteries. The design of this headlight is an expression of its functionality, giving it a lightweight and natural appearance. Its housing features a visible high-efficiency micro generator which, when the bicycle is moving at 21 km/h, produces continuous power of 3.5 volts at 70mA for the LED and the lithium battery. The bicycle headlight can be easily mounted on any bicycle frame and integrates well due to its reduced language of form. New approaches in thinking thus meaningfully combine a simple physical principle with current and trendsetting technologies. The headlight is given a new form and turns into a highly worthwhile companion.