Motorcycle LED Safety Vest Prototype

I’m kicking off Phase 1 of a smart, impact-protective motorcycle vest and need a hands-on engineer who can take it from concept to working prototype. In this first stage you’ll design the garment structure, lay out high-visibility LEDs, specify and wire up a rechargeable battery pack, add a physical on/off switch, and integrate a compact BLE controller so the lights can be toggled and dimmed from a phone app. Key goals • Dual safety: the vest must cushion minor impacts and keep the rider highly visible. • Phone control: in the prototype the mobile app only needs to switch the LEDs on/off and adjust brightness, but the BLE firmware should be written with future signal functions in mind. • Rugged build: weather-resistant fabrics and sealed electronics that survive road spray—and stay intact if the bike goes down. My workflow preference I like quick video or voice check-ins during each milestone and detailed hardware docs in between. Clear CAD files, PCB gerbers, firmware source, and a fully assembled vest are the core deliverables for this phase. If you typically work with specific tools (Altium, KiCad, Fusion 360, ESP32, Nordic, etc.) let me know; I’m flexible as long as the final package is easy to transfer into small-batch manufacturing. Acceptance criteria for Phase 1 1. Vest physically fits a US-size medium mannequin. 2. Integrated LED strips pass a 30-minute rain test and a 1-meter drop test without failure. 3. BLE app (Android or iOS) reliably connects within 5 seconds and lets me toggle power and set at least three brightness levels. 4. Battery pack delivers 2 hours of continuous full-brightness runtime. 5. All design files and a short build log are handed over at completion. If this lines up with your skill set in wearable electronics, LED drivers, BLE firmware, and rugged product design, I’d love to hear how you’d tackle it. Let’s talk—literally—so we can keep decisions moving fast.