A Helmet with Built-In Headlights

Biking in the dark can be dangerous. Eu-wen Ding, as a business-school student living in Boston, nearly found out the hard way: he’d forget his lights, and cars would almost clip him. So he started thinking of a better way to ride. “All I wanted to do,” says Ding, “was get from A to B without dying.” Eventually, that goal led Ding to create the Lumos Kickstart Helmet ($180), whose LED lights not only increase a cyclist’s visibility but also blink to indicate if she is making a left or right turn. Riders can trigger the signal by clicking a wireless remote mounted to their handlebars or by syncing the helmet with their Apple Watch and making a traditional hand turn signal. The Lumos launched in 2017 after more than $800,000 was raised on Kickstarter; more recently it became the first light-up helmet to be sold in the Apple Store. —Sean Gregory