Skully AR: anybody getting one?

[misterprofessionality]

Skully AR motorcycle helmet returns from the dead under new ownership | TechCrunch

I can't believe they finished this kickstarter. It had a very long rocky road, but these helmets really exist and are being shipped out now. Is anybody considering getting one of these or know somebody that's being shipped one of the first batch? I would be totally interested to know how it works and feels.

With things like Heads up display for all your Tach, turn by turn navigation, a Rear view camera, voice control, phone connectivity, ect, This thing seems like it has everything a commuter could want. my only worry is that it only mentions DOT certification, So I don't know if it has any of the higher, more practical certifications, because having a DOT cert alone is kind of a joke.

 

[Cormanus]

Expensive. But interesting.

 

[Lord Popgun]

My head isn’t worth $1800

 

[Frulk_imp]

Not sure how the heads up display would work for me as I ride with the visor open the predominant amount of time below highway speeds.

 

[Rocky_imp]

I don't want anything in my helmet except my head.
None of those features have any attraction for me - or at that or any other price!

 

[misterprofessionality]

As somebody who spends a lot of time in traffic around cars, high tension situations where observation is key, it just seems like such a huge increase in safety to be able to read my tach, and have a wide angle rear view available to me without having to turn my head or look away from the road ahead of me. glancing at a HUD is way way safer than looking over my shoulder. being able to track my speed on the HUD is way way safer than looking down at my gauges every so often. And while i don't always use navigation, you can see how much safer it would be to not have to look down at a map or mounted cellphone when navigating .

 

[apex1_imp]

Skully AR motorcycle helmet returns from the dead under new ownership | TechCrunch

I can't believe they finished this kickstarter. It had a very long rocky road, but these helmets really exist and are being shipped out now. Is anybody considering getting one of these or know somebody that's being shipped one of the first batch? I would be totally interested to know how it works and feels.

With things like Heads up display for all your Tach, turn by turn navigation, a Rear view camera, voice control, phone connectivity, ect, This thing seems like it has everything a commuter could want. my only worry is that it only mentions DOT certification, So I don't know if it has any of the higher, more practical certifications, because having a DOT cert alone is kind of a joke.

The other much tougher standard in the U.S. is the Snell Memorial Foundation certification, which in ways is more rigorous than the DOT standard. The problem is that Snell will not even test a helmet with an integrated sun visor, nor will it test a modular helmet. I recently bought a new Shoei GT Air helmet because I wanted the integrated visor, and it carries only a DOT rating. With all the bells and whistles in that Skully helmet, it would not surprise me at all if it is not eligible to be tested by Snell.

 

[LongRanger_imp]

Correct -- Snell won't certify those helmets, but many do have European ECE certification, which I understand is similarly stringent.

 

[the Ferret]

Wonder if that helmet has a 5 year shelf life like other helmets?

Way too much tech stuff going on inside that helmet for me. I think I would be overwhelmed with stuff to distract me, and of course the price is astronomical. Close to 2 grand, wow. I'm pretty sure the last 2 helmets I bought were about $139 each lol.

I can see all the tech features appealing to some though. Bet my son would like to try one.

 

[3rdbike_imp]

So where do all those electronics end up when you really smack something solid? Thru the foam and into your head??

 

[peterbaron]

...well, as far as GPS is concern, after smacked something solid, it will lead one the shortest way to cemetery...lol...:rofl:
I do not need this helmet even for free.

 

[Cormanus]

My head isn’t worth $1800

Mate, your head is priceless.

I wonder about whether the information provided would be distracting. Would you get used to looking at the HUD rather than down at the gauges? If you did, it may well end up being safer. I can't help wondering how long it would take to get used to interpreting the rear-facing camera information. I'd like to try one, but I certainly can't afford one at that price.

I wonder how special the visor is and how much it costs to replace when you scratch it?

 

[the Ferret]

It seems to me you'd have to focus your eyes on any information displayed and that information is not likely to be right in the center of the shield, so you'd have to divert your eyes from the road to see the speed, or rpms, or gps.

I have ridden in a car with this feature for the speedometer and I was constantly looking down at it rather than where I was going.

 

[peterbaron]

Some cars have HUD at the very bottom of their windshield (minimal distraction) and some others have a small screen/shield (some distraction) that pops up above cluster........

 

[misterprofessionality]

It seems to me you'd have to focus your eyes on any information displayed and that information is not likely to be right in the center of the shield, so you'd have to divert your eyes from the road to see the speed, or rpms, or gps.

I have ridden in a car with this feature for the speedometer and I was constantly looking down at it rather than where I was going.

I guess the reason I see it as a safety feature is that glancing slightly over left or right to access that information is much closer and shorter than glacing farther down at my gauges, turning to look over my shoulder at a blind spot. basically you net a lot more time with your eyes on the road ahead, to access the same information.

reading the perspectives here, it seems that I rely on my tach and check my blind spots much more frequently than other riders. if you don't do a lot of that the information bombarding you really could be distracting i suppose.

 

[the Ferret]

Ill admit I dont ride in much traffic. Most of my rides I barely see another car on the road. THe blessing of living in a rural area I suppose.

Tell the truth I have ridden thru Atlanta, Chicago, LA, San Fran, Miami and if I had to negotiate those environs (or other areas like them) on a daily basis, I'm not sure I would be a motorcyclist. Too intense for me.

 

[KiowaEagle_imp]

They don't show, at least in that link what the riders perspective is. I'd like to see that.

Ferret, you wouldn't like it much here in the northeast corridor.

 

[Roper_imp]

If the HUD is properly collimated, your eyes won't have to change focal length--going from infinity as you look at the road, to much nearer gauges, then back to infinity. Plus, you won't be moving your head around. All of this keeps your eyes focused more on your "flight path" and is much safer. That's why pilots use them. Plus, with the HUD in your helmet, all of the critical information is still visible when you turn your head. If the technology works as advertised, I see this as leap forward in safety.

 

[egleaves_imp]

The tach is neat, but not life changing. Sound and feel can stand in for sight when it comes to revs.

The rear view mirror(camera), however is something motorcycles have never had in any practical sense. Side mirrors are great and all, but there’s a huge blind spot without a rear view.

The part that doesn’t seem right to me is the fact that the image fed to the HUD is that of what’s behind the helmet instead of what’s behind the bike. Riding 2-up renders this useless. Turning your head to enjoy the scenery renders this useless.

A conventional rear view mirror always shows what’s behind the car, not what’s behind your head. I want this helmet when it feeds me an image from a rear facing camera mounted to the bike.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

What helmet HUD offerings look like today ...