BMW Motorrad presented concept helmet with built in heads-up display for increased motorcycle safety. The Helmet will be displayed at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on 6-9 January 2016.
The helmet is designed to show a variety of different information — heads-up basics like speed and fuel, for instance, plus more advanced features like road sign recognition and vehicle-to-vehicle communication systems that will transmit road information in real time from one rider to the other. Such a system could also connect to a future road-to-vehicle communication infrastructure.
The prototype BMW helmet is also equipped with an integrated mini-computer and speakers, wirelessly controlled via a multi-controller fitted at the left side of the handlebars (which is good, because mucking with controls on the helmet itself while riding could get a little messy). It also has a forward-facing action cam that can record your ride, GoPro-style, and a rear-facing camera that can be used as a virtual rear-view mirror in the heads-up display. The system is powered by removable batteries that are good for a claimed five hours of life.
A Laser light will also be displayed along with the helmet at CES, setting the new standards of motorcycle safety, along with a technical outlook of how they may be employed in series models of the future.
Headlights using laser technology are not something new for BMW, as it already applies similar systems in cars like the 7 Series and the i8. The CES prototype is presented on the touring icon, the K 1600 GTL.
The laser light headlamps generate a very bright pure-white light, with a high beam that can reach up to 600 m (1,968 ft) – almost double the range a conventional headlight can achieve – and the an additional benefit of a long service life of this maintenance-free construction.
At the moment, the technology is still too cost-intensive for use in motorcycles. However, it is expected that the economies of scale resulting from their large-scale use in the automobile industry will result in a price structure with a clear downward trend. Its use in motorcycles could might then be imaginable in the medium term.
