Smart helmet for motorcyclists

[culpan]

Just read this on a website some of you may be interested:

Piers Tucker, 24, of Yorkshire, has created a motorbike helmet that is fitted with GPS technology, which displays information about what speed the bike is traveling.

The device means that the driver does not have to take their eyes off the road to monitor their speed.

Tucker says the idea is based on "Head Up Display" systems used by fighter pilots.

The helmet is fitted with a small display unit, measuring approximately 2.5cm x 2cm, which has an LCD screen and can be seen to the left of the wearer's peripheral vision.

It displays the speed at which the motorbike is traveling, whether the bike has its indicators on by displaying a light either side of the screen, and what gear the bike is in. When the indicators are on, the unit also makes a sound so that the driver is aware both visually and aurally.

This is rather cool in my opinion, one thing is that GPS is way more accurate than current speedo's and warning a rider when they have left their indicators on will certainly save a few lives.

[stinkwheel]

I wonder how well it would work when covered in splatted flys, muddy water/diesel spray off the motorway and riding head-on into a nice low autumn sun?

Something like that would bug the life out of me, by definition the projector for the HUD will have to be visible in part of the helmet, taking away a chunk of your peripheral vision. As for shining lights in my face when the flashers are on.......

I can also imagine the police stopping you 'what speed were you doing there son?'

'I'm not sure officer, you see I can only get the one satellite on this bit of road because of all the flyovers.'

stinkywheely
Raining on the Parade.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[The Tot]

This HUD idea was brainstormed as a AS tech project last year, but my teacher said that it wasn't viable for me to develop as it was considered a new project and not a product development. However, when i submitted it this year, it was considered as a development of an exisiting product, i.e. a visor I believe that such devices are invaluable and can inevitably save lives (and licenses if they have a built in Gatso detector?) Quite a nice project to discuss though. I guess it's like marmite - you either love it or hate it - like to see the product though.
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The Tot 2019 Z1000SX - 2007 R1
Never argue with autism

[culpan]

It would depend on how it was made, until I can try on one of these helmets I wouldn’t like to pass judgment. If the electronic gizmo’s can be made small enough, I think it would certainly be a cool thing to have, and the indicator warning would be very handy as on occasion I have forgot to switch them off

It also turns out that Michael Schumacher has something similar, A HUD in his helmet showing grid positions and he manages to drive at 200 + MPH without much problem. I don’t see why Moto Gp teams couldn’t implement something similar I am sure it could help in some way.

[Ste]

GPS seems to be less reliable than normal speedos for giving an accurate reading. Tgabber put one on his bike at the last trackday and it gave some interesting over reading, such as a reading of 407mph.

If that type of thing becomes usable it's a matter of time until they're fitted to all vehicles for speed limit enforcements. Would be interesting getting a ticket for 407mph though.

[RooRoo]

[carvell]

The thing about GPS is that it's accuracy falls down when you go up or down hills. The satellites can only see the object in two dimensions.

If you were to hold a standard GPS system and launch yourself perfectly vertically into the air at 400mph, the GPS system would read 0 mph, as you have not moved at all in the two dimensions it measures speed in.

The above is an extreme example, but if you were going up a steep hill at a true 60mph, the GPS would read lower.
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Yamaha TDM 850

[tgabber]

[Mister James]

Gps can be pretty shakey when it comes to speed over ground, as noted by othershere, it's often to do with coping badly with elevation. As also mentioned, having clear line of sight to enough satelites to obtain a decent fix can also be problematic.

I wouldnt really trust it as an instant speedo, we used it a lot in the mob for SoG, but you cant really compare a 40mph warship with a 150mph bike.

[carvell]