Volvo’s record of developing and implementing safety systems in their vehicles spans their entire history. Recently they’ve debuted a new ‘paint’ aimed at cyclists to make them more visible to drivers at night and reduce the chance a motorist might hit them under poor visibility.
Life Paint is a temporary reflective spray that can be applied to metal, plastic or fabric surfaces that glows brightly under illumination from vehicle headlights. It is transparent during the day and only becomes visible under illumination at night. An application lasts for about a week and can be washed off with soap and water.
The concept was originally created by Grey London with Swedish startup Albedo 100 as one of a series of projects to promote safety innovations of the Volvo XC90 crossover. Life Paint is in a trial phase at six London and Kent bike shops where 2,000 cans were offered as giveaways to cyclists. International availability at retail stores could follow pending the product is popular and any tweaks to the system need completing.
Beyond cyclists, Life Paint has applications for joggers, dog walkers, construction crews, safety personal, drivers suffering mechanical problems and likely a host of others. Check out the video to see how it works: