Android ‘smart motorcycle helmet’ gets crowd-funded, goes on pre-order

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If you’ve ever wished your motorcycle had better mirrors, or that you could get directions from your GPS without taking your eyes off the road, the Skully AR-1 may be the answer. Billed as “the world’s smartest helmet,” it incorporates a head-up display to show the view from a built-in 180-degree rear-facing camera as well as turn-by-turn directions from the integral GPS … 

The head-up display is fully-transparent and designed to be in focus while you are looking at the road, so shouldn’t obscure your view. The GPS too is designed to pop up transparent directions only when needed, to minimize distraction. Bluetooth connectivity to your phone offers both hands-free phone calls and streaming music.

There’s also Internet connectivity via Bluetooth – though Skully doesn’t say how this is used beyond providing over-the-air firmware updates – and an open SDK, allowing anyone to develop apps for it, which does raise some concerns about the potential for distraction.

The Android-powered helmet itself is of course DOT/ECE certified, and is fitted with a “fog, scratch & glare resistant visor.”

As you might expect, it isn’t cheap, sarting at a pre-order price of $1,299. You’ll also need to wait until May before you get your hands on one.