New variable headlamp!!

"Intelligent Illumination — Look at a cliff face above a hiking trail. Your headlamp illuminates the rock with a 300+ lumen beam. Now, glance at your map; notice as the headlamp beam instantly tones down to adjust for a close view. That is the reality of the NAO from Petzl, a self-adjusting light that uses optical sensors and a tiny computer processor built-in to assess what you’re looking at, how far away it is, and then to change its output accordingly from 8 lumens to 355 lumens in a literal blink.





NAO mounted on a helmet and ready to shine its “smart” beam
We tested the NAO headlamp, which will cost a cool $175 when it comes to market later this year, in the dark woods on an XC ski outing one night after the trade show. Short story: It works. The “intelligent” beam saves on battery life by only using the needed light for any distance view, plus you won’t blast your eyes with 300-lumen bounce back if you glace from that proverbial cliff face above to a glossy map held in hand."

[sorry, the pictures didn't copy over]

how much does the thing weigh?

That is cool!!!

Brilliant use of technology. I want one now, but I'll have to wait til it's $19.95

187 grams. Not light but for gen-you-wine hands-free nighttime pursuits it's pretty darn brilliant.

I have a Primus headlamp with a wrist remote, but it's not all that useful.

Cheers,

In addition to having a slight problem with both price and weight, I'd rather have a variable switch so I can control the light volume myself!

How in the world did we ever get along with lights we had to adjust by hand? or worse yet, that were nonadjustable....

I have a nice old brass Carbide lamp from my dads cavin days! Anybody here remember them besides me?

REI sold them (carbide headlamps) back when I first joined them (alongside wooly mammoth saddle bags). Justrite, I think. I always wanted one because they combined brass and flame.

Cheers,

A carbide fan here. Great for caving and for night hiking; you could buy a flame protector that would keep wind from blowing it out. It was very easy to start a fire if you had a carbide lamp.

Neat technology, but more than I need and more than I'm willing to pay.

try buying carbide these days. I have my grandfathers coal mining lamp. It must be 90 years old. If you set the flame to about 3/4 inch the mosquitoes will come and singe their wings off and leave you alone.

This sounds like a really cool light. Even simple headlights are $30 so I'll get one when its $39.95.
Jim

The lack of availability is what did carbide lamps in. Too bad...I believe carbide is cow classified a hazmat.