Aussie helmet with real-time updates
The Forcite MK1 helmet delivers instantaneous updates via Bluetooth and Wi-FiAn Australian-designed helmet incorporating full safety compliance with the latest app-based in-helmet visual and audio cues is already close to selling out the initial 1000-unit build.
The Forcite MK1 helmet is a result of industrial designer Alfred Boyadgis breaking his patella into three pieces after hitting an oil slick.
The crash also led to the helmet-mounted camera causing major impacts to his head and neck.
Immediately before the fall, Boyadgis had been subject to a police traffic check and a rage-road inducing traffic jam.
Boyadgis then had plenty of time to wonder during his recovery what could be done to improve situational awareness around the rider’s immediate environment.
He teamed with fellow designer Jay Chow to develop the Forcite as a means of providing the local weather, traffic and road conditions, using online databases and a smartphone app to provide real-time updates to the rider.
The pair wanted to avoid using a head-up display, which Boyadgis describes as a distraction and instead settled on technology similar to an F1 car’s steering wheel.
Coloured LED lights appear in the curved display of the helmet’s chin section – flashing green for left or right, orange for caution and flashing red and blue for emergency services.
Audio prompts complement the visual cues and the level of detail can be customised via the app. The helmet is also capable of taking and receiving phone calls and streaming music using the in-built microphone and dual speakers.
The Forcite MK1 also uses a “military grade” camera built into the helmet’s chinbar. It is angled to cope with riding positions from cruisers to sports bikes and records up to five hours of riding.
A removable fingertip-operated handlebar controller lets you operate the system on the move.
The Forcite lid has passed the ECE 22-05 and DOT safety certification and comes with an inbuilt internal sun visor.
The helmet is powered by a pair of lithium-inert batteries, which Forcite says won’t catch fire or explode if punctures.
The carbon-fibre lid weights 1550 grams and comes in sizes from XS to XL.
Purchasing the $1599 lid can only be done by joining Forcite’s Facebook Test Pilots page
https://www.facebook.com/groups/forcitetestpilots/
Given the initial demand, expect to see another batch of Aussie ingenuity in the near future.
Tags
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
