Project Aura. More than just a hipster lighting gimmick?

Came across the Project Aura project a couple of months back via vimeo. Based on what I had read I suspected that it was just another hipster bike lighting system and to be honest the electro pop soundtrack of the Vimeo teaser initially confirmed my intuition.  
However on further evaluation I have to concede, the idea is actually pretty good.   

The rim-mounted LEDs are a lot more than just a fancy gimmick. Firstly, they LED lights change colour based on how fast you ride—self-powered (by a front hub dynamo) to boot.  
The creators behind the idea are Ethan Frier and Jonathan Ota. Both guys are industrial design students at Carnegie Mellon University who admirably addressed the issue of night time cycling accidents with an idea and a Small Undergraduate Research Grant.  

Click to download PDF of presentation poster

Project Aura offers a new radical solution to bicycle lighting. I suppose the question now is when, if ever, will project aura lights come to the mass market? Hopefully sometime soon. Either way in my opinion, these lights are the best things out of Pennsylvania since the Pittsburgh Steelers.  

Project Aura in action

 

The science behind lights