Searching for Unicorn helmet.

[Magnusson]

My helmet is getting tired and I am looking for a new one. I find nothing I really like.
So I thought about putting up a wishlist.
Brand doesn't matter.
It has to be safe, comfortable, quiet, warm in cold, and cool when warm. And cheap.

Anyone know of a Unicorn like that?
I'll probably end with a Schuberth 3 pro that is on offer at a nearby dealer. It's advertised as very, very, very quiet, and I'm an easily convinced by advertisements.

Then I started thinking about helmet technology. Electronics, and what was possible for a forward thinking helmet designer.
First we could have active noise cancelling.
Then we add small circuit that uses the noise cancelling mic and speaker while connecting to your phone, and make your whole helmet work as a headset.
The "headset" would then allow bike-to-bike communications.
Now use the mic and add camera lens behind the visor so you have proof that you "were only doing 30, officer." And you get video of your adventures to bore your (soon to be ex) friends.
Add another lens on the back. Heck, why not?
Then you could add a variable speed fan and heat and moisture sensor to keep steady climate inside. The fan would of course be designed to also keep your visor fog free.
Add motion sensor to activate the built in brake light.
Add couple of LEDs to the front, so you can fix your bike in the dark.
Reuse the motion sensor, add velocity and impact sensor so your helmet/phone can call for help if you have an accident and are unable to do so yourself.
I wonder if adding airbags would make it too complicated. I mean, the sensors are already there.

Just imagine. Mic, speaker, small lens and sensor, battery cell and a circuit. To replace Gopro, air pods, and Sena or Cardo.

End of dream.

[Scott_rider]

Schuberth E1...it won't do the stuff in your dream but it is quiet and comfortable and very well made. They are regularly on offer somewhere at £295 which is a big reduction from their usual price .

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

I think military aircraft & F1 helmets already have a lot of those systems, so it's doable.

Whether motorcyclists would want the cost, weight and compromises that come with the tech is debatable.

Bell helmets are pretty good VFM. Always try before you buy.

[dibbs]

Yeah +1 for the Bell Helmet. I bought a cheap one off eBay and it came with a spare tinted visor, I have to say it's very comfortable and has soft padding and the visors are great and field of vision is good. It also has some sort of moveable head lining to stop your brain bashing into your skull in the event of an off! so sounds good to me!!! the fit and finish and noise reduction is surprisingly good, almost as good as my Shoei Hornet!

[Magnusson]

I think military aircraft & F1 helmets already have a lot of those systems, so it's doable.

Whether motorcyclists would want the cost, weight and compromises that come with the tech is debatable.

Bell helmets are pretty good VFM. Always try before you buy.

Almost all of the tech is already in the cheapest smartphones. Mic, speakers, cameras, motion sensors, Bluetooth, wifi, and a battery. Use the guts from that, drop the screen, and total cost of components is far under 100 pounds. Just to take an example.

[PaulinBont]

I’ll sell you my Phil Read Replica……the polycarbonate was cutting edge in …err 1970’s

[HarveyCamm]

Sorry had to be done

Helmet.jpg (69.56 KiB) Viewed 3973 times

JohnLewis.com


In response to your very real initial post - people can't even keep the exhaust on a bike standard for long so they'd want to be swapping the OEM Android phone for the latest iPhone and putting a different satnav / radio / gps / etc in place when the mood took them - if the electronics people and the plastic hat people could get together and offer a range of compatible components it really would be something!
Harv

[Magnusson]

Thanks for the picture Harv. It's awesome.

I was just taking an example of the cost of the hardware side and what it could be based on. The software would probably be android based. It's open source, with lots of open source software libraries that would make it easier to write the extra software functions.

An additional feature I thought of is HUD, that could be satnav, or the picture from the rear facing camera. Again even the cheapest smartphones have built in GPU so it's easy to add. At least in theory.
The recording from the cameras would of course have accurate location, speed, and G-forces embedded into the video file.
Another idea is to make the visor with electrically adjustable tint.
It's a shame this will not happen.

I spotted in a helmet review that the Pinlock patent has expired, so all helmet manufacturers can now make their own version without paying royalties. I thought that was interesting.

[Asgard]

This one actually lets you see through the aeroplane, like look down at the cockpit floor and you can see through it to whatever is below (ok perhaps not so handy for a bike)

[Magnusson]

Fort nine is testing some helmets here.