Hammerhead is a new navigation system for bicycles that will guide you over streets and along trails accurately. It is a portable unit that attaches on the handlebars for easy viewing and accessibility. An array of LED light supplies turn-by-turn directions. It works in conjunction with a free downloadable app. Once the phone is connected you can stash it in your pocket and turn off the screen. It will continue to communicate via Bluetooth and guide you along a selected route.
There is nothing else like Hammerhead on the market. One of its attractions it that it is an interactive social-network-connected program that allows people to contribute their favorite routes. But it also uses map data and works in conjunction with popular apps such as Strava (free) and MapMyRide (free). It can be used in a competitive mode to let you know how you are doing against other riders over the same route in real time.
Hammerhead works with all the major bike share companies found in cities like New York, San Francisco, and Boston. Attach Hammerhead to the rental bike, and it will give time of departure and arrival as well as navigate to the next docking station in the system.
Hammerhead is multifunctional. It’s not just a navigation system, it also doubles as a night light with a bright headlight and two side lights. and it operates for about 15 hours between charges and can be used for about 6 hours with a Smartphone.
Hammerhead is the creation of inventor Piet Morgan, a recent Yale grad from South Africa. While biking from Connecticut to California he realized the difficulty of plotting safe bike routes. He appreciated the danger after losing a friend and fellow biker on an unsafe route. His goal was to be able to plot safe routes for bikers everywhere.
The Hammerhead is a crowdfunding project. If you are not familiar with crowdfunding yet, it is a relatively new concept that allows inventors to fund, manufacture, and bring a project to market. Participants choose a funding package and then receive their own Hammerhead in return when the product come to market. There are only 30 days remaining to fund the project with a goal of $145,000. The project is about 30 percent funded with 387 backers at this time.
I can’t wait to get one of these on my recumbent bike and discover new and safe bike trails wherever I go.