Japanese gadget vendor Thanko has a really fun bicycle tail light up for sale right now. The device users five LED lights to project a pair of guidelines behind you to keep tailgating cars at bay. There’s also a fun bicycle image projected too, just in case drivers aren’t clear that these strange lights are coming from a bicycle.

The light system is powered by two AAA batteries, and can be used for up to 30 hours, which should be plenty of time for most cyclists. The lights power off on their own as well when the bike has been stopped for more then 5 minutes.

If you’re in Japan, you can pick one up over on Thanko’s website for 1980 yen, or a very affordable $20. For those outside Japan, you can order via Thanko’s newly launched Raremono shop, although you’ll have to wait a little while as it’s currently out of stock.

There have been other systems similar to this one, including this one from Korea, so it’s not an entirely unique idea. But it’s a really interesting solution that encourages bicycle safety in a fun way, so I thought I’d share it. Have a look at their demo of how it works in the video below.

It’s still not as cool as a fun animated wheel LED system that I saw here in Japan a few years back. I’m glad to see that project is still going, and you can check it out over on Anipov.jp.