[Noisebridge-discuss] [Noisebridge-announce] wearables workshop

[Sai Emrys]

This reminds me of something I was thinking about recently.

How hard would it be to make an EL-wire (or functional equivalent)
vest suitable for motorcycling?

A basic version would just have state-approved colors facing front and
back and an onboard power supply/controller.

One could get fancier and e.g. try to have it integrate into turn
signals, brake light, or headlight modulation; have more extensive
lights coverage (e.g. on legs, arms, head); have a breakaway
connection to on-bike power / controller (are there commercially
available parts functionally similar to the Apple MagSafe plug?); etc.
Not sure if it'd be worth the extra effort though.

I do think it'd probably be easier to make it as just an independent
harness/vest rather than trying to sew it into my leathers; the latter
seems problematic to do without impairing function. OTOH, I could try
sewing it to what I use now, which is just a generic yellow
reflective-stripe traffic vest.

I've never worked with materials of this sort though, so I don't even
know if EL wire per se is the correct tool for the job.

Any suggestions?

This is hardly an original idea, but I've not found any kits or
commercial products that do this after a quick search, which I found
somewhat surprising given its (IMHO) obvious utility.

- Sai