Glowing Motorcycles: An Innovation That Will Save Lives and Shape a Safer Future

A few years ago, one of the news items in my Technotrends Newsletter, was about an innovative type of paint that could absorb energy from the sun during the day, and glow the color of the paint at night. In the article I suggested that a good application for this would be to paint motorcycles with this type of paint so that the other drivers could see them better at night. Knowing that many of the largest cities in developing countries have large numbers of motorcycles and most have poor headlights, I suggested this was a good place to consider trying this application for the new glowing paint.

Motorcycle accidents and fatalities in this country are on the rise as new young riders forget that they are mortal and push beyond their own driving limitations–which often results in a trip to the ER. In addition, many baby boomers that were used to riding a small Honda 90 when they were young are rediscovering the fun of riding a motorcycle. They are starting to ride again and buying larger bikes like Harley Davidsons–forgetting that they need to re-learn how to ride and often end up in trouble.

The most recent U.S. statistics show that over 4,600 people die in motorcycle accidents each year, many of which involve crashes with other vehicles at night. To remind the general public to be aware of motorcyclists on the road, numerous public service announcements have developed, including the popular “Check twice for motorcycles” bumper sticker campaign.

I recently came across a company called Darkside Scientific, which has refined the glowing paint idea and is now bringing it to the market.

To get the paint to glow at a satisfactory level, the innovators at Darkside Scientific first tried using photoluminescent paint, which activates via sunlight and black light, but it was a failure because you couldn’t control it. So after some analysis, they decided to try electroluminescent paint, and the result was a success. Someday soon, you will see a motorcycle with custom paint that glows brightly in the dark. Thanks to their innovative efforts, it will be far more difficult for drivers to miss seeing these glowing bikes after the sunsets.

Even better, there are many more applications for the paint besides motorcycles. It’s an entirely new medium that can transform highway safety, and the world of art.

What other applications for glowing paint can you think of?

?2014 Burrus Research Inc., All Rights Reserved.

###

DANIEL BURRUS is considered one of the world’s leading technology forecasters and innovation experts, and is the founder and CEO of Burrus Research, a research and consulting firm that monitors global advancements in technology driven trends to help clients understand how technological, social and business forces are converging to create enormous untapped opportunities. He is the author of six books including The New York Times best seller Flash Foresight.