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Rideye Creates Black Box Video Camera for Your Bicycle

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With the Cerervellum Hindsight in limbo (more on that some other time), there wasn’t anything on the market that could loop video recording to save a visual record of your ride leading up to an accident. Until now.

The Rideye gets the concept right with a simple, um, black box, and easy one button operation that records HD video and automatically saves a one hour loop in the event of a crash. It looks rather basic, but it’s the result of more than a year of development with precision CNC’d aircraft grade alloy housing the electronics, crash sensors and camera.

It records in hour-long loops and instantly saves it when it detects a crash or you turn it off. Unlike the Cerevellum, it records in 1280×720 high definition video, which they say makes license plates visible about 90% of the time.

Rideye-HD-cycling-black-box-video-recorder

The outer casing is mostly alloy with bullet proof Lexan inlays for the front and rear panels. Inside are all the electronics and two Li-ion batteries good for a month’s use with normal commuting to and from work. Technically, they’ll record for up to 24 hours before needing recharging.

The lens is a 120º wide angle lens, and it also records one-channel audio. Dimensions are 1″ x 1.5″ x 3″, and weight is just 300g.

Rideye-HD-cycling-black-box-video-recorder

An early prototype.

Rideye-HD-cycling-black-box-video-recorder

The “finished” product in final prototype form. To download the video, just plug it into your computer via the included mini USB.

Like many good ideas, this one was spurred by a major life event. Founder Cedric Bosch’s friend was the victim of a hit and run and seriously injured. If your worried this could happen to you (and what cyclist isn’t?), check out the project on Kickstarter and help back it. The minimum needed is just $36,000 to get things off the ground, and they’re already at almost $3,000 as of this post going live. There are the usual fluff items for small donations, but $99 gets you an actual Rideye unit, a discount off the expected $149 retail price once the campaign ends.

Standard units will record to a 4GB storage, but if you pony up $229, you’ll get a special 32GB model that’ll save up to 10 hours of video.

Estimated delivery is around March 2014, just as spring fever hits us all.

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21 Comments
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Dyno-mite!
Dyno-mite!
10 years ago

call it a crash; there is always a reason.

Matt Holland
Matt Holland
10 years ago

Sorry but safety glasses so f**k all on the top of your head!! (0:50)

Mark
Mark
10 years ago

As a video professional, I can tell you that no way will you be able to make out 90% of license plates in that resolution, (‘720’ lines, if it isn’t interlaced, which it probably is, so less, which is NOT full HD and a flat out lie in their kickstarter video) at 30fps. Not enough information and too much motion blur. At best I can make out 25-30% of the license plates in their HD video on vimeo, just imagine if you were riding any faster. With the motion blur that number may drop to 0%. unless the car comes to a stop and the camera is angled at the license plate after or upon the moment of impact, it’s useless. This is generally misleading and I hope the company modifies the hardware or at least their promises. They could end up in a lot of trouble if they don’t.

Chris
Chris
10 years ago

@Matt Holland.

Relax.

Cedric Bosch
10 years ago

@Mark

Hi, I’m Cedric, creator of Rideye. I appreciate your comments! Thanks for pointing out the error in our video. I will change that as soon as I can.

To address your concern about making out license plates: if you can send me your email, I’ll send you some sample footage straight from a Rideye. It’s far clearer than what you get after it’s been uploaded and compressed by Vimeo. That said, I understand that the 90% figure is misleading, and I have removed it. What I meant was that in 90% of incidents, you can make out enough detail to help detectives identify the vehicle. This is done through a combination of license plate information (even partial numbers are helpful) and a detailed visual representation of the vehicle’s characteristics. With a video of the accident, your odds of accurately proving what happened are dramatically higher than without any proof.

Ham-planet
Ham-planet
10 years ago

That casing doesn’t look like it would make good friends with my knees.

@Chris
Mark seems pretty relaxed to me. He’s just pointing out that this new product doesn’t live up to the manufacturer’s claims.

Mark
Mark
10 years ago

Didn’t think we’d have the founder here! Hi! Interesting product. It seems like the detail in the video isn’t as high quality as it could be. I have a family member in law enforcement and it’s hard to get things like license plates from most equipment, even the expensive stuff. A lot of expensive security cameras still can’t pick up license plates from moving vehicles. That’s why those red light cameras cost thousands of dollars to produce. I think you’re right, Cedric, partial numbers are helpful especially tied to a visual of the car. I think if anyone thinks twice about this, they’ll realize that it’s most helpful than not. A lot of times, poor security camera video is used to make arrests and solve cases. I don’t see why this wouldn’t help.

If this product helps at least one person it was all worth it. At best, it won’t put anyone at risk as long as they know its limitations.

Steven
Steven
10 years ago

“If your worried”

PeterFal
PeterFal
10 years ago

Why go to the trouble of developing a new system when there are so many options out there already?

PeterFal
PeterFal
10 years ago

Try ebay. Cameras & photo, camcorders, helmet/action. Dozens of models starting at $65 with 1080p resolution.

Inspector Gadget
Inspector Gadget
10 years ago

How does this help if you’re hit from behind? Will it have a seat post mount available?

Star
Star
10 years ago

If I order one now, and you come out with the inspector gadget post mount, can you send it along later? Out here in the Sonoma County (few bikes up this way), we worry about getting hit from behind on our narrow twisty roads. Say yes here, and BAM, I am in!

Cedric Bosch
10 years ago

@Star @Inspector Gadget
Yes, we will be selling helmet and seatpost mounts shortly after Rideye ships to backers. If you’re interested, send me an email after you back the project and I’ll make sure to put you down for a free seatpost mount as soon as they become available! Same goes for any of my fellow BikeRumor readers.

info@rideye.com

David
David
10 years ago

I think it’s damn cool that these guys are trying to think up something to keep us safer out there instead of just making another restyled pedal or t-shirt. thank you!

Segg
Segg
10 years ago

A crash cam that will cause severe injury if it makes contact with any part of your body during a crash. No thanks, go back to sketching boards.
Trying to imagine hitting this sharp metal box with my knee is giving me shivers.

Morgan
Morgan
10 years ago

@Segg I’m pretty sure that the car hitting you from behind or a broken frame/handlebar will do far more damage to your dainty knee than this camera ever would. All the edges on it are deburred and shouldn’t really be sharp at all.

ah
ah
10 years ago

I applaud the basic concept, but if the accident all takes place in front of you then chances are slightly better that you could have avoided it, and it is certainly easier for the culprit to deny anything that went on before out of camera shot.
Ideally it needs 360 degree vision so that tailgaters and T-junction hits are covered too. OR, to be helmet mounted so that when you turn your head to look at the hazard it gets captured. But obviously to be helmet mounted it needs to be smaller and lighter…

Good luck

patrik
patrik
10 years ago

I have a surefire method to prevent hit-and-runs: mountain bike.

Mr. Crash-a-matic
Mr. Crash-a-matic
10 years ago

SO thinking about this it seems to be a good idea. Even with a rear pointing Rideye mounted on a seatpost / top tube or whatever I’m going to be in trouble. We don’t have plates on the front of our cars here in Quebec. Ontario does and so does every other state and province in the region but I don’t ride there. I ride here. So WHEN I get hit again for the umpteeeth time I’m still not going to be any closer to identifying the vehicle and driver… I’ve never been hit from the front or the side… ever…

Solutions?

Rich
Rich
10 years ago

Interesting. I like the batt life. Simplicity. Looping. But square edges. Hmmmmm. I would prefer it being more aero on the front and back.

I think I would have one mounted forward and one backward because half a story does little good when understanding an accident. Might be a car, might be a rider who half wheels you. I assume you could mount it facing backwards.

Star
Star
10 years ago

@ Cedric, way to stand behind your project! I look forward to seeing the project flourish. I too like the aerodynamic idea, but I signed up as s backer and look forward to feeling safer on my solo rides. “Liked” it on Facebook as well, good job!
Star stevenson

AP
AP
10 years ago

How is the Cerevellum in limbo? Isn’t it already a shipping product that does essentially the same thing? In fact with that there’s a chance that given you are seeing behind you there’s a chance you could use it to keep yourself out of trouble rather than just having footage after a problem does happen?

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