Exactly! Here's a quote from the link I provided in the original post:

"...Project Aura was never meant to replace front and rear lights, merely to compliment them."

Well said! I don't understand all the resistance, other than the fact that people fear change, and you can't graft a new idea onto a closed mind. Remember people... this is a school project, not a marketing attempt. The students should be receiving accolades. If further R&D turns it into a marketable product, then I say more power to them!

I honestly do not see this as a useable solution for the same reasons that blinking bike lights are not allowed in Germany. It attracts the eye too much and can cause drivers (and other cyclists) to be distracted/annoyed.

If it could be replaced with a soft, constant glow that was around the entire wheel, I would accept it more readily. It would just need some light-wave guides to direct the light from the LEDs into a more diffuse circle.

I think it's an elegant and complementary solution that while not for everyone does seem like a good one.

Distracting is just another way of saying noticeable. Within reason, it's a very good thing for cyclists to "distract" drivers and attract attention. I notice blinking lights on bicycles when I'm driving. I find nonblinking lights on cycles much harder to notice. 99% of the time, I'm looking for two extremely bright headlights, e.g. cars. When they approach, I notice. Cyclists with solid lights (especially a single light) are much less noticeable. Cyclists with a blinking light don't follow the normal pattern, and attract so I notice them.

If blinking lights are illegal in Germany, then I think they got it wrong. What's the likelihood that a crash happens because a driver was distracted by a cyclists lights vs the likelihood that a crash happens because a driver did not see a cyclist? Some limits on blinking lights are probably reasonable (if you look like a nightclub, it's probably reached the point of dangerously distracting), but an outright ban seems wrong.

See asdfjkl's post #17

Blinking lights are illegal in Germany. However you are expected to have properly mounted reflectors and lights within the minimum and maximum brightness levels, properly aimed.

Think about an intersection with a modest group of cyclists (say 20) all with blinking taillights and crazy rim lights headed in different directions, at different speeds. It'll look like some crazy disco, with all those lights fighting for your attention.

If you're just a lone cyclist on the road, then I can understand. But in larger groups, it's confusing. Never mind being a cyclist behind another with blinking lights on a tour, where you have to stare at that non-stop blinking for hours. It'll drive you nuts.

Totally! I go to steady state on the MUP.

I also switch just my headlight to steady state on a low traffic/no streetlights really dark stretch of road on my commute.

I wonder how durable they are. I'd rock a set on mtb nite rides in the deep dark forest. Wouldn't want a big ol buck to accidently run into me.

I prefer tires with reflective striping . The only thing I want inside my rims is the tubes, I don't want a bunch of wires and connections in there.

Looks pretty cool, but you could accomplish basically the same thing using tires with reflective sidewalls for no additional cost or weight.

I assume that those of you saying that reflectors would accomplish the same thing don't bother with head or tail lights, right?

Is that actually a common scenario? I've never been at an intersection (in the US or Europe) and seen 20 cyclists hit an intersection at the same time.

Nonetheless, I agree that it could reach the point of ridiculousness (some lone cyclists manage that by themselves with their crazy lights). I think setting limits on flashing brightness and (especially) frequency would do a lot to mitigate that situation. Banning flashing lights outright seems an unnecessary extreme. It seems to me that the "disco intersection" is primarily an annoyance, while the lone cyclist that's hard to see is an actual danger.

True enough. In that situation, I can't see any reason to leave the light in blink mode. An close, organized group of cyclists will be visible without the flashing. Maybe it would make sense for whoever's pulling up the rear to use a flasher.

The number of cyclists prevalent is highly dependent at the time of day and location. But suffice to say, at dusky rush hours, I occasionally see far more than 20 bicycles in the evening at large, busy intersections. I don't even want to think about my trips to China, where I've seen more than a hundred. With all of them using blinking lights I'd have a hard time tracking them all as my attention keeps being pulled from one to the other.

Another problem for blinking lights is that it is also the signal for a stop sign, or a turn signal. More flashing lights to watch for does not seem like a good answer.

I'd actually say the small area of light is as much a problem as the brightness and the flashing. A larger surface lit up at a constant moderate brightness is easier to track by eye. A small blinking dot doesn't immediately indicate a bike to me, since all can focus on is a small blinking dot. It could be a jogger or pedestrian too, for all I can tell. Two circles from glowing rims I can instantly understand as a bike, but only if it's a whole circle that stays steady. It's like a heiroglyph for bicycle.

We may just have to disagree on this. I haven seen it be a problem, but I'm sure it could be given enough cyclists with obnoxious flashers. I'm not sure that this potential problem outweighs the already-present problem of bikers being hit because they weren't seen.

This seems like a weak argument. You could argue that turn signals should not flash for the same reason (distracts from flashing stop/yield/caution signs), yet most of us seem to think that they are a good thing.

A larger solid light might be easier to follow, but it harder to notice. It's a tradeoff. For head/tail lights, we're also unlikely to see large lights on bikes. They'd likely be too heavy and not aerodynamic enough. Maybe I'm wrong and we'll see some bigger lights on bikes.

As for the wheel lights blinking, solid might well be plenty noticeable. I seriously doubt that many people would see these flashing while in motion and not recognize it as a bike, though. The circular shape is extremely obvious, blinking or not.

Flashing lights are also often used to signify a slow moving vehicle. Many trucks put their hazards on when they're crawling up mountain passes at 20 mph.

I can understand the blinky overkill point in crowded cities, though. I think I'll keep my tail light blinking 'til bikes outnumber cars in my town, though. I still kill the blink when I get on the MUP.

My favorite headlight setup = two steady state + one blinky. But I don't often have enough charged batteries to run like that.

I don't think it's weak, I think it makes sense to have the proper balance of things--neither too many, nor too few.

I think blinking bikes are a step too far, and at worst, desensitize us when everything is blinking all the time. Just like warning labels and fine text on all the products we use--most I never even bother to read for better or worse. We also need to lay some responsibility on the vehicle driver's education and awareness too.

Larger lights can be used as some sort of light-up tape, to cover larger areas of the frame, if someone could invent it. I think It's only really necessary to have motorcycle or scooter level lighting at most. For instance, my bike has a B&M 4D Toplight at the rear, which is quite large (nearly the size of a scooter's taillight), and lights up pretty well with 4 LEDs. I just wish it lit up the whole thing better. It's certainly possible to make some larger aero lights as well if there was a demand for it.

I also have a fairly bright B&M Ixon IQ in front. With it on high power and the large taillight, I get the occasional comment that I'm mistaken for a small motorcycle. That makes me feel fairly confident that it's enough lighting, and something to aim for. I just need to get it running on a dynohub...

Count me in on that!
There was a similar idea that I suspect someone may have posted a link to or a thread about previously. The concept is a pair of whit light gen. powered LEDs mounted to the fork energizing a new, improved chemical compound glow in the dark paint or tape applied to the rim. That also looked pretty damn good (and a little less complicated).

Regardless, being seen is good.

EDIT: Yes, the Lunasee lights, previously mentioned. Very nice.

the backwards spinning wheel effect might be a problem, but if a driver can't deal with something like that, they should not be drivers. God forbid anyone would have to think and observe for a second.