Bicycling Australia
While Stability Control, Antilock Brakes and the imminent arrival of automatic braking technology will reduce the incidence of crashes and the severity of injuries in the automotive world, there’s no such preventative technology on the horizon for cyclists. If you go down, it’s probably going to hurt, and perhaps put you out of action for an extended period.
The Icedot sensor is a small yellow disc, 35mm in diameter and 15mm deep that attaches to your helmet. At just 18g you don’t even notice it’s there. If the helmet receives a significant impact the Icedot registers the knock, set off an audible alarm on your phone, and the electronics inside set about broadcasting crash and location information to your chosen emergency contacts. If you crash but are OK you hear the alarm and can deactivate it before it’s sent.
Registering your details on the Icedot website (contact people and your current health status, medications etc) takes just a few minutes, then all you need to do is download the app to your phone and pair it with the Icedot and you are away.
The pairing of the Icedot with my phone took a bit of mucking around for me. My iphone 5 was scanning for the Icedot but did not pair with the unit for a while. I checked out some FAQs online and also contacted the service department via email who responded and followed up efficiently when I did not recontact them.
Once hooked up it continued to connect, and disconnect as required, and pleasingly the sensor did register a crash test knock and set off the alarm, sending an alert and map to my wife’s phone in just a few seconds.
You need to register the international prefix (+61 for Australian phone numbers) for the unit to be able to reach your contact mobile. Not all phones are compatible with the Icedot at present you’ll need an iPhone 4S or later, or an Android version 4.3 or higher—check the Icedot website to see if your phone is on their list.
Two new features have recently been released for the Icedot; Emergency Declaration and Live Tracking. You can manually set off the alarm and have a text message sent to your contacts via a simple button in the app. And you can also enable live tracking so that your partner at home can follow your ride location in real time.
Minimising the time between an accident and appropriate medical attention can be very valuable. Indeed a quick response to head trauma could prevent loss of consciousness and even ensure survival if you do have a serious crash. This could be particularly useful for riders on roads less travelled where you might not be found by passing traffic for some time.
The Icedot really could be a lifesaver.
RRP: $179
Distributed by Icedot Australia
