HAMMERHEAD NAVIGATION | HAMMERHEAD ONE | 2015
Bikes can turn the way planes land / HAMMERHEAD "HAMMERHEAD ONE"
A "T" shape sitting on your handlebars. This device, named after a shark, handles bike navigation using nothing but light. No phone, no map, no headphones needed. LEDs blinking at the edge of your vision tell you "turn right soon" or "keep going straight." It's so simple that it actually feels brand new.
The problem
Checking navigation while riding a bike is dangerous. Whether you're glancing down at a screen mounted on the handlebars or pulling your phone out of your pocket, your eyes leave the road either way. Three developers in New York joined R/GA's accelerator program and spent 18 months tackling this problem.
The insight
The hint came from airplane pilots. When landing, pilots don't stare at their instruments—they keep looking ahead, relying on indicator lights blinking at the edge of their vision. Hammerhead brought that same principle to bikes. Which way to turn, how far to go, how fast—all of it gets communicated through light patterns alone.
The idea
The device is shaped like a "T," similar to the outline of a hammerhead shark. Three rows of LEDs attach to the handlebars or stem and sync with a smartphone app via Bluetooth. Enter your destination, and it builds a route that factors in distance, weather, and even hills.
What happened
At the 2015 Cannes Lions, it won eight Lions, including Gold in three categories: Product Design, Cyber, and Mobile. R/GA was named Agency of the Year that year.
Afterthought
The moment I heard "navigation using only light," I thought, "Is that really enough?" But traffic lights also communicate "stop" and "go" using nothing but light. An agency took a startup's product and launched it into the world with this much force. Product design, UX, mobile—gold in every single one. Well, of course it was.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Gold 2015
