Night Runners Project, Fall 2006
Teams Members
- Abraham Clayman
- Daniel Harburg
- Sanderson Hull
- Michal Jablonski
- Alex Lippai
Student TA
- Debbie Sperling
Problem Statement
Running at night is unappealing and dangerous because of the limitations of portable lighting.
Need for New Device
"I don't run at night because I don't like to deal with headlamps. If there were a more comfortable or better piece of equipment, I would run at night more."
—Kristen (Dartmouth student)
Limitations of current state-of-the-art portable lights include
- Light beams bounce and cause disorientation and dizziness
- Headlamps are uncomfortable
- Lamps afford little peripheral vision
- Breath can fog up a headlamp's beam
Solution
A lighting device mounted on a foam-padded Cordura belt with a mesh interior enclosing 13 LEDs on a circuit board mounted in foam core, a water-tight battery pack, and a safety light.
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| A ProEngineer model and a closeup view of the Night Runner device. |
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| The Night Runner device illuminating the path ahead with a luminance of nearly 9 lux and 30 degrees to either side with a luminance of nearly 6 lux. | |