Smiley Bicycle – Moritz Waldemeyer’s Joyrider

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How about you take your old bicycle and improve it? And not with just anything! With smiley faces!

Here’s the Moritz Waldemeyer’s Joyrider. What it does? It’s quiet simple – it creates illuminated smiley faces on the wheels of the bicycle when rotating (by clip two electronic devices onto wheel spokes; the electronic devices emit led light after measuring the rotating speed so the final result is the illusion of stationary smiley faces; the electronic devices were auctioned February 27th for almost $4000, money going for a ICA Fund donation).

This, however, as simple and funny as it seems, has raised a lot of controversy. The technique was already known and used from some time already, evidently not signed by Moritz Waldemeyer. Even if so, Mr. Moritz Waldemeyer himself joined a blog-conversation explaining how he’s not trying to claim the POV (Persistance of Vision) project but he’s promoting a far simpler idea than before, allowing a very simple graphic to be displayed using only one LED.

Truth being said, I wouldn’t pay $4,000 for this Joyrider project, but I find it interesting and carrying more style and message than the previous available designs (techniques involved overloading the wheel). Can’t wait to see if they’re going to produce it after all, maybe we’ll get some smiley bicycles for the toddlers for family Joyrides.
Would you buy something like that? For you? For your kids?
(via dezeen)