Wednesday, February 18, 2009

nike hindsight by billy may

this is one of those design objects that appeals to cyclists who brave city streets as a matter of course. emerging from the credo - what helps you see helps you live longer (or at least see what's going to nail you!) - designer billy may has come up with a very lovely concept that is both practical and visually stunning.

dubbed the nike hindsight these glasses are supposed to provide the wearer with an extra 25% in their range of vision.

here's the thinking: my field of vision is nominally 180 degrees. to see further than that i have to swivel my head. cyclists know that this invariably results in two things. one, your body swivels and slightly adjusts the direction you're travelling in and more importantly, it takes your eyes and your mind off the road in front of you. both are bad news on busy streets.

using fresnel lenses on both sides of the glasses, the rider can detect motion in a field of view beyond the normal human limit of 180ยบ. here are billy's design sketches.






if nike picks up on this then you can be sure that i'll be finding a pair to wrap around these eyes!!

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