Ben Coxworth, Gizmag 
If you’re a regular bicycle commuter, then you have no doubt experienced the following scenario: you’re the only vehicle going in your direction at a controlled intersection and the light is red, but it won’t change to green because the traffic sensors embedded in the pavement can’t register your presence.

The Veloloop mounts to the bottom of your bike frame and triggers the sensors in the intersection

Well, that’s where the Veloloop comes in. It’s designed to make those sensors think that your bike is a car.

Embedded “inductive loop” traffic sensors work by creating an electromagnetic field in the surface layer of the road. When a sufficiently-large metal object – such as a car – stops above the sensor, it creates eddy currents within that field. This is detected by the system’s traffic signal controller, which causes the light to change.

Bicycles, in most cases, simply don’t consist of enough metal to trip the sensors. You can try to position your bike in exactly the right spot relative to the sensors’ looped electrical wires or wear magnets in your bike shoes), but the Veloloop looks like it’s considerably easier.

Once the Veloloop locates the signal, it “locks on” and then emits its own signal to trigger a green light

It remains in standby mode while the bike is in motion, but sets to work once an accompanying spoke-mounted magnet indicates that the rear wheel has stopped turning. Using its looped aluminum antenna, the Veloloop then starts by searching for the sensor’s electromagnetic signal, scanning a variety of frequencies. Once it locates the signal and “locks on,” it then emits its own signal. This affects the sensor’s magnetic field in the same way as the metal in a car, triggering a traffic light change.

The Veloloop is powered by two AA batteries, and can reportedly run for at least a year on one pair. Its California-based creators are currently raising production funds, on Kickstarter. A pledge of US$99 will get you one, when and if they’re ready to go.

More details are available in the pitch video here.