BMW's "heads-up" helmet

5th January 2016

HUDS | Concept | V2V | Skully | Crash helmet 

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BMW is unveiling its new "heads-up" concept motorcycle helmet at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas, USA. The show runs from the 6th January 2016 to 9th January 2016. It's not the world's first heads-up (or HUDS) helmet to reach market. Skully (see Sump September 2015) has already been there and done it. Nevertheless, BMW is evidently keen to get on-board at basement level (or at least on the ground floor), hence the new lid.

Features include a forward-facing camera to record your ride and act as a legal witness; a rear-facing camera that acts as a virtual mirror and displays in heads-up mode; and V2V (Vehicle-2-Vehicle) integration.

So what exactly is V2V?

Well, you can think of it as Wi-Fi specifically for the automotive world. V2V can (or will be able to) pinpoint your position in the event of a breakdown or a road accident; it can warn multiple vehicles of a road hazard or a diversion; it can highlight roadworks; and it can even sound an alarm when a vehicle ahead of you is about to cross a junction at a dangerous speed or against the lights.

And there's more. V2V can also warn of braking manoeuvres two or more vehicles ahead allowing you to react even before the driver/s in front of you react regardless of whether you can actually see the braking vehicle.

IV2V is embryonic technology that's being developed by the Ford Motor Company, among others. There are still numerous technical, commercial and political obstacles to be addressed, not least the issue of privacy and data protection. But it looks like this tech is coming on fast, and BMW's new concept helmet is said to be ready to meet it head on, pun intended.

Batteries are fitted to the helmet which are said to be good for 5 hours of use (no doubt that will increase dramatically with subsequent models). The heads-up display will post everything from vehicle speed to fuel status to technical alerts, to date and time, to weather conditions, and probably email and maybe news reports. A button, or toggle, or similar will be mounted on the left handlebar to control it all (Wot? No voice control?).

No prices have been given, and the production lids are likely to be a year or two away. But get ready.

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