A revolutionary new bicycle handlebars concept is undergoing four months of testing in Shenzhen after designers Helios successfully pitched their idea to a U.S.-based startup incubator earlier this year.

The “smart handlebars” concept, which can be attached to any bicycle, come with built-in LED headlights, automobile-style turn signals, Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, and GPS tracking.

Bluetooth is a wireless data technology that can exchange data over short distances. The team have taken advantage of this technology by building a “Helios Connect” iPhone app which acts as a remote to control the handlebars, allowing users to change the colour of rear-facing lights. The LEDs also light up if the connection is lost, allowing users to easily spot their bikes in the dark.

GPS tracking can show the cyclist how fast they are travelling in the form of a visual LED speedometer. Customers can even insert a SIM card into the handlebars to receive text messages on the go.

A possible downside for some will be the battery life, which is limited to seven hours, making longer journeys undertaken by avid cyclists tricky. But, just as with a smartphone or tablet, the bars can be recharged by plugging them into a USB port.

“What Tesla is to cars, or Nest Labs is for smart appliances, that’s what we want to be for bicycles,” Seena Zandipour, a co-designer of the smart handlebars, told Fast Company last month. “That’s what Helios is here to do.”

Shenzhen is a city infamous for its busy roads, with a report in March by Shenzhen Evening News claiming there were an estimated 2.25 million cars registered on the city’s roads, making it the densest concentration of vehicles per square kilometre of any major city in China.

New bicycle rental systems are currently being put in place by local district governments to cater to a growing number of residents who are choosing cycling as a clean and affordable alternative to cars. However, last month Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported that there was a perceived lack of safe bicycle parking in the city.

The Helios Bars are expected to retail for US$199 when they are released in December after the four month testing period in Shenzhen is complete. Customers can already preorder the futuristic next-generation handlebars on Helios’s official website.

Photo credit: Helios