In the February 2012 issue of Men’s Journal.
“The Atlas Aspect can tackle terrain from powdery fields to icy 14er summits, thanks to traditional round tubing at the front (to ease strides on snow) and a bladelike serrated bottom that digs into slush and ice (for a firm bite on climbs).”
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It may be called the Nao (“now”), but Petzl’s newfangled head beacon isn’t available until July. That’s the bad news. The crazy-cool news is that this is the brainiest headlamp ever invented, with sensors that work somewhat the way autofocus does on a camera. Look into the distance and onboard “reactive lighting” microprocessors tighten the beam and increase lumen output up to a max of 355 from dual LEDs. Gaze down at your paperback while kicking it in your tent and the beam diffuses and lumen output drops accordingly as well, so you’re not blinded.
Read More: Fresh Goods – PETZL NAO Headlight
Innovation is a must: this was the primary criterion for entry in the competition for the ISPO AWARD 2012, the “sports industry’s new quality seal”, according to Tobias Gröber, Head of Business Unit Consumer Goods at Messe München GmbH. A jury of professionals consisting of journalists, designers, retailers and athletes from all over the globe selected the most exceptional innovations from the 260 entries.
Segment Outdoor
Category Accessories Hardware: NAO headlamp by Petzl
NAO by Petzl automatically adjusts the intensity and spread of the light to the external conditions and user’s requirements. This optimizes energy consumption, using rechargeable batteries. Jury statement: “The NAO’s automatic light intensity adjustment is new to the market. A very innovative feature is the USB charging option.”
Read More: The Winners Of The ISPO AWARDs 2012
Last week Salt Lake hosted the annual Outdoor Retailer Winter Market trade show, the place where manufacturers show off their hottest new gear, clothes, skis, and more. This is the gear that will be arriving on retail shelves later this year. Four Climbing and Urban Climber editors roamed the Salt Palace for three days, checking out the wares. Here, our picks for the 10 coolest new products for climbers.
Petzl Nao headlamp. The pioneering headlamp maker introduced its “reactive lighting” technology, in which the beam automatically adjusts from 7 to 355 lumens, depending on the amount of outside light hitting the lamp. Great for battery life and user comfort, but it comes at a price: $175.
Read More: Outdoor Retailer Top 10
Petzl has come out with a headlamp which will very likely alter the course of headlamp technology. Their new NAO Reactive Lighting headlamp alters the brightness based on the activity and available light. The NAO (pronounced “now”) has two high power LEDs and a light sensor set up in a triangle pattern. The sensor measures and analyzes ambient and reflected light and then sends the info to a chip that alters the brightness of the lamps. What this really means is that when you look from map to trail, the light will get brighter, when you go from trail back to map, you won’t get blinded, and you won’t have to adjust the light in between. To sweeten the deal, the USB-chargeable batteries comes with accompanying software so you can alter the light intensity on you computer to suit your needs.
Read More: Outdoor Retailer Roundup: PETZL NAO Headlamp
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.
Read More: ‘Best in Show’ Awards: Latest, Greatest Gear for 2012!
When you’re trekking through the great outdoors in the middle of the night, you need your hands free for reading maps, clearing obstacles, and fighting off bears. So Petzl’s new Nao headlamp makes all the brightness and focus adjustments for you.
Billed as one of the first intelligent headlamps, the Nao (pronounced now) features a set of LED lights—one with a wide beam and one with a spot—that are automatically controlled by a large light sensor located above the two. While you’re hiking (or fleeing) the reactive lighting system—as they call it—measures the ambient lighting and continually adjusts the beam for optimal visibility, and prolonged battery life.
Read More: Self-Adjusting Headlamp Knows If You Want To See Near Or Far
Touted to have a first of its kind self-adjusting beam, the to-be-released NAO headlamp from Petzl could be a game changer in the world of head-mounted illumination products. Unveiled today at the Outdoor Retailer trade show in Utah, the NAO has integrated light sensors mounted near its LEDs on front. It is said to analyze ambient light and then “instantly and automatically” adjust its light-beam output to best suit the venue outdoors.
We have little information now on the headlamp. Petzl released only a paragraph to the press. But we assume the “self-adjusting” feature means the light will tune up and down depending on what you’re looking at. If a hiker is gazing ahead down a trail to see far, the headlamp will sense that and adjust long. Look down at your shoes (or a map in hand) and the smart Petzl headlamp will instantly reduce output to save power and not blast your eyes.
Read More: Intelligent Illumination? Headlamp ‘Self-Adjusts’ its Beam
Petzl Nao Headlamp - photo: the GearCaster
One of the show favorites by far, amongst all the attendees at Outdoor Retailer, was the new Nao headlamp from Petzl. Using an integrated light sensor technology, the headlamp beam instantly adapts to the changing conditions around you, giving you ideal lighting at all times with little manual intervention.
Called Reactive Lighting, the new Petzl headlamp technology features an integrated light sensor that can automatically asses your proximity to an object, your current level of activity, and your desire to see in the distance, adjusting both the beam pattern and light output accordingly.
Read more: Powerful Self Adjusting Headlamp
Once in a while, a headlamp comes around that changes the game for others. Enter Petzl‘s Nao auto-adjusting headlamp, which dims or brightens according to the level of ambient light.
The Nao uses Reactive Lighting Technology, which is comprised of a sensor and an associated microprocessor. That allows the Nao’s two LED’s to dim — and for batteries to last longer — in brighter light, and to get stronger as it darkens outside.
Reactive Lighting Technology will prove especially useful for alpine starts, moonlit cloudy nights, or any other endeavor where ambient lighting changes over time. Plus, you won’t have to fiddle around making manual adjustments.
Read More: PETZL NAO headlamp automatically dims or brightens
