Tech Trends Augmented Reality Helmet Jarvish CES 2019 Smart Helmet Motorcycle Virtual Reality Consultancy
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You’re Taking Me for ARide

posted in: IOT Tech, Tech Trends, VR Tech

This Augmented Reality smart motorcycle helmet is as cool as it sounds, and looks good in the bargain.

Having real-time, hands-free digital information and applications overlaid onto our surroundings is the next step from looking up information on mobile phones and interacting with AI voice assistants Click To Tweet

It’s really a stroke of genius when you stop and think about it. On the one hand, there’s growing appetite for Augmented Reality functionality among consumers. Having real-time, hands-free digital information and applications overlaid onto our surroundings is, after all, the logical next step from the way we’ve become used to looking up information on mobile phones and interacting with AI voice assistants.

The difficulty with AR glasses lies in fitting a decent-size field of view - and the processing power necessary to make all these wonderful functionalities work smoothly – in eyewear that doesn't look dorky or feels heavy Click To Tweet

Tech Trends Augmented Reality Helmet Jarvish CES 2019 Smart Helmet Motorcycle Virtual Reality Consultancy

But what if your product naturally gives you a lot more room to play with? Click To Tweet

But there is, of course, the minor snag of fitting a decent-size field of view – and the processing power necessary to make all these wonderful functionalities work smoothly – in a normal-sized pair of glasses. Yes, huge strides have been made, and we’re getting closer, but still no cigar.

But what if your product naturally gives you a lot more room to play with? The last thing you want from a motorcycle helmet is for it NOT to cover your entire face and head after all, so you can make it relatively light and cool-looking without compromising on the amount of tech you can fit in there. And that’s exactly what Jarvish has set about doing.

Jarvish was founded in 2014 by a group of motorcycle enthusiasts Click To Tweet

The company was founded in 2014 by a group of motorcycle enthusiasts and members of the former Advance Technology Division (ATD) team at Foxconn. They had previously produced a popular smart motorcycle helmet, but their latest prototype, the Jarvish X-AR also (as the name suggests) supports a broad range Augmented Reality functions.

The last thing you want from a motorcycle helmet is for it NOT to cover your entire face and head, so you can make it relatively light and cool-looking without compromising on the amount of tech you can fit in there Click To Tweet

Tech Trends Augmented Reality Helmet Jarvish CES 2019 Smart Helmet Motorcycle Virtual Reality Consultancy

“The X and X-AR have been designed to enhance the motorcycling experience with smart features that mean a rider can focus on the road ahead without any distraction,” says Jeremy Lu, CEO of Jarvish. “Police officers in Taiwan are already wearing the first generation of Jarvish smart helmets, while on duty, to record their journeys, gather evidence and connect with police central command.”

This new AR helmet, which weighs around 1700g was designed in Germany and is made from pure carbon fiber. The HUD can be controlled and retracted easily via voice command, integrating with services like Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant so that riders can use voice activation to control the cameras, make calls, play music, etc.

The helmet has the ability to not only display directions, but also notify the wearer of traffic and weather conditions, indicators, speed, hazard road signs and incoming caller IDs on the HUD Click To Tweet

 

The X-AR includes an AR-powered head-up display (HUD) which uses maps and routing from HERE Technologies and – via the Jarvish app – allows users to input a destination by voice and receive audio and/or visual directions to the location in the helmet. The technology behind the display ensures that, even in bright light, these projections are always clearly visible.

The helmet has the ability to not only display directions, but also notify the wearer of traffic and weather conditions, indicators, speed, hazard road signs and incoming caller IDs on the HUD. It even shows 2K rear-view images so the rider has 360° visibility while on the road.

This new AR helmet, which weighs around 1700g was designed in Germany and is made from pure carbon fiber Click To Tweet

Tech Trends Augmented Reality Helmet Jarvish CES 2019 Smart Helmet Motorcycle Virtual Reality Consultancy

Their Kickstarter raised over $200,000 in its first two days Click To Tweet

It also comes with a built-in front 2K camera and removable 16GB (optional up to 256GB) memory cards in the helmet. This means you can – if you’re that way inclined – broadcast your journey in real time to your social media account by voice command, or just download the footage to your smartphone or upload to the cloud for later. The battery lasts for four hours of continuous use and supports wireless charging via micro-USB.

Their recently launched Kickstarter raised over $200,000 in its first two days (out of an original $50,000 target). They say the purpose of the campaign was not only to raise funding, but also to raise the company profile as they gear up to recruit more engineers and create a broader ecosystem of AR applications.

The Jarvish X-AR is selling at USD $1,099 Click To Tweet

The Jarvish X-AR is selling at USD $1,099 , which again is not pocket change, but not a ridiculous price point either, specially when compared to other top of the line helmets or even some of the newest smart glasses we’ve seen targeted at the consumer market. The prototype certainly made a splash at CES earlier this month, and the company aims to start shipping the pre-ordered units from September 2019. You can order it on their Indiegogo page

 

This article was originally published on VRScout


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Alice Bonasio is a VR Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio and @techtrends_tech on Twitter.