Motorcycle helmet integrates head-up display, GPS and rear-view camera

Silicon-Valley start-up Skully Systems will ship its 'world's smartest' motorcycle helmet from next year. It costs $1,399, and draws together a host of technology features that are already becoming familiar to car drivers and makes them available to motorcyclists for the first time.

The helmet's visor features the firm's 'Synapse' see-through head-up display system that shows information like navigation data, bike speed, and a 180-degree angle feed from the rear-view camera mounted on the back of the helmet.

The helmet also includes a Bluetooth link to connect it with a smartphone, and a built-in microphone and speakers, allowing the rider to make hands-free calls and stream music.

Weighing 1,792g, Skully claims that helmet has a similar mass to equivalent modular bike helmets on the market, while its built-in battery lasts for nine hours before it needs to be recharged using a micro-USB cable.

As for safety, Skully claims that the helmet "can vastly improve the safety and situational awareness of riders," and it has been awarded DOT/ECE certification.

While the technology is familiar, this is the first time that it's been integrated into a helmet in what seems to be a successful way. Perhaps of most interest, however, is the consumer appetite that the Skully helmet has already stimulated.

It won't be sold in stores, with the firm relying on crowdfunding to ensure it can ship the AR-1 to buyers beginning next May. The product launched on Indiegogo on 10 August, with the aim to raise $250,000. However, with 23-days still left to run at the time of writing, the campaign has generated over $1.2million already. It seems desire for the augmentation of life-through-smartphone shows no signs of abating.

By Tom Phillips