Shoe shows of ‘smart’ helmet with HUD
Shoei has presented a helmet that aims to help you keep eyes on the road by putting all the information you need right in your face.
TVS isn’t the only company to have recently shown off a heads up display (HUD) helmet. Safety stalwarts Shoei have revealed a similar helmet in partnership with French company EyeLights.
Both Shoei and TVS seem to be torn about what they want to call the technology in their helmets, alternating between HUD and AR (augmented reality). They use these terms interchangeably but perhaps prefer the latter because it is more ‘now’ and doesn’t carry with it the stigma of more than a decade of false promises. (Anyone remember Skully?)
Whatever the case, the idea here is the same as it has always been: a helmet that interacts with your bike, phone, and the surrounding environment to place a wealth of information directly in your line of sight. You know, like the sort of thing that Tony Stark sees when he’s wearing his Iron Man helmet.
But instead of seeing readouts on how much ammunition you have left, you get maps, bike info (speed, fuel range, mileage, etc), calls, texts, music, and on and on.
As someone who suffers from ADHD, I can’t help but think that having all this information directly in my field of vision would result in my demise, as I’d forget to pay attention to all the big hurty things that myself and my bike are hurtling toward – like lorries or cliffs. But EyeLights insists that its technology actually increases reaction time – by up to 32 per cent, apparently.
Shoei displayed this collaboration at this year’s EICMA (which took place earlier this month), incorporating EyeLights’ technology into one of its GT-Air 3 helmets. As such, the helmet is robust, comfortable, and meets both DOT and ECE 22.06 standards.
Within the technology is a comms system that allows you to issue voice commands (as is already possible on a number of comms systems) and make use of a ‘universal’ intercom system that is reportedly compatible with most other brands.
There’s no word yet as to when the so-called GT-Air 3 Smart helmet will go on sale, but when it does it will reportedly come with a price tag of €1,199 (about £1,050 at current exchange rates).
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Chris Cope is a fourth-generation journalist, originally from Texas. He has lived in the UK for roughly two decades and has been writing about motorcycles for most of that time. He has written for dozens of publications and websites in the UK, US, Canada, and Australia.
