Her invention 'Laserlight' from her company 'Blaze' currently is being mass produced in China and on Thursday (12 Sept) at 9pm it will feature in a CNN programme on innovative designs and products.
Emily Brooke being interviewed by Stefanie Blendis for CNN
Emily, who graduated in Product Design with Professional Experience two years ago, was a student when she developed Laserlight, a bike light that has been hailed a major breakthrough in tackling one of the biggest causes of cycling deaths. CNN'S London reporter Stefanie Blendis interviewed Emily Brooke at the university's product design suite in Moulsecoomb, Brighton.
Almost 80 per cent of cycle accidents happen ahead of cyclists, as vehicles turn into them. Laserlight projects a laser image of a bicycle from handlebars onto the road ahead, alerting motorists to cyclists' presence. It warns drivers wanting to turn left or right but cannot see cyclists alongside them – in their 'blind spot'.
The Laserlight in action on Brighton seafront
Emily has been refining her design for two years. After graduating, Emily won a place on an entrepreneurial scholarship at Babson College, Massachusetts, after being nominated by beepurple, the University of Brighton's enterprise network. She was also selected as an inaugural member of Entrepreneur First, an accelerator programme encouraging graduates to start a business. She worked with Brighton & Hove City Council, Brighton & Hove Bus Company, road safety experts and driving psychologists to further develop Laserlight.
Emily praised the university:
"I am so grateful for my time there and I really loved the course. And beepurple have been absolutely fantastic."
The Laserlight is expected to be on sale this autumn
Laserlight is now a top-of-the-range bike light with the added function of projecting the cycle image in constant or flashing modes – and it has gained instant appeal. Emily wanted to raise £25,000 through the crowd funding service Kickstarter and ended up with more than twice that amount. Laserlight is expected to go on sale this autumn in all branches of Evans Cycles and online at www.beryl.cc.
As to the future, Emily and colleagues are already working on new ideas at her Blaze company office in London. She said: "There are so many problems facing cyclists these days, including bike security, and we are looking at 15 new ideas, including a bike tracker system to trace stolen cycles.
"It's been a rollercoaster ride since leaving university; exhausting but really fun – and I feel very lucky."