LAS VEGAS -- The marriage of wearable technology and sports can often seem forced, but a cycling jacket on display at Sunday's CES Unveiled event offers one of the most practical -- and surprisingly stylish -- approaches to wearables we've seen yet.
Visijax is a lightweight nylon jacket embedded with strategically placed LEDs that flash when the wearer signals a right or left turn by raising an arm.
[seealso slug="winter-clothing-tech"]
The UK-based company demonstrated the jacket for us, and it works exactly as promised. After the rider signals, the lights continue to flash, then turn off after about five seconds.
On the back of the jacket, near the wearer's posterior, another array of LEDs maintains a constant flash to alert nearby drivers of the cyclist's presence.
Inside the jacket, the LEDs are powered by a cleverly concealed battery pack and controller, which turns on and off with a simple press of the power button icon on the jacket's front.
The rechargeable USB battery lasts for about 30 hours, and the jacket is water resistant.
The jacket costs $120 in the U.S., and is available via Amazon or through the Visijax website.
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