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Motorcycles

Ride:HUD brings head-up display tech to existing motorcycle helmets

By Ben Coxworth
November 29, 2013
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The Ride:HUD display (lower right) as seen through a motorcycle helmet
An exploded diagram of the main Ride:HUD unit
Ride:HUD can reportedly be attached to most full-face helmets
The Ride:HUD display (lower right) as seen through a motorcycle helmet
View gallery - 3 images

Head-up displays, or HUDs, are claimed to make driving much safer and easier – instead of looking away from the road and shifting their focus to the dashboard console, drivers just need to glance at an unobtrusive display projected onto their view of the road. NUVIZ now wants to bring HUD technology to motorcyclists, in the form of its Ride:HUD helmet system.

One of the things that makes Ride:HUD stand out is the fact that it's designed to be added to existing full-face helmets. Some other motorcycle HUD systems, such as those being developed by Skully, LiveMap and Reevu, are built into helmets that replace the rider's existing brain bucket.

Ride:HUD can reportedly be attached to most full-face helmets

The main Ride:HUD unit is attached to the chin bar of the helmet, via an adhesive-backed quick-release mount – this allows the device to be taken off when not needed, or transferred between helmets. Its translucent liquid-crystal-on-silicone screen sits in the rider's lower right-hand field of view, where it reportedly doesn't get in the way.

Information displayed on the screen can include basic riding stats (speed, distance traveled, etc.), navigation maps/directions and weather maps, plus incoming calls and music library access on a paired Android or iOS phone. That phone also serves as the brains of the device, via the Ride:CLOUD app.

The unit additionally has a built-in HD camera, so it can shoot POV stills or video. In order to do things like switching between screens, riders use a simple push-button Bluetooth controller that is mounted in an easy-to-reach location such as the top of their gas tank.

While Ride:HUD is being promoted as "the world’s first Head-Up Display for motorcycle helmets," it in fact is not. Even if you don't count the earlier-mentioned systems that are built into helmets, Motion Research Corporation has already been offering its add-on SportVue system for several years. BikeSystems is also taking preorders on its BikeHUD, although it uses a tiny opaque screen as opposed to a see-through projected display.

The NUVIZ team is currently raising production funds for Ride:HUD, on Kickstarter. A pledge of US$479 will get you a unit, when and if they're ready to go. More information is available in the pitch video below.

Sources: NUVIZ, Kickstarter

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MotorcyclesHeads Up DisplayHelmetsKickstarterHUD
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Ben Coxworth
Based out of Edmonton, Canada, Ben Coxworth has been writing for New Atlas since 2009 and is presently Managing Editor for North America. An experienced freelance writer, he previously obtained an English BA from the University of Saskatchewan, then spent over 20 years working in various markets as a television reporter, producer and news videographer. Ben is particularly interested in scientific innovation, human-powered transportation, and the marine environment.
5 comments
Felix Bayer
Sounds pretty interesting to me. I like driving longer distances by motorbike and having the phone I use for navigation safe and dry in a pocket, instead of behind a windscreen in the rain while still having the directions visible sounds just perfect to me. Not to mention the fact that I can have my eyes on the road instead of on the phone.
The Skud
Anything that helps the rider keep his eyes on what is happening and not down at the w'screen base or near the tank - whatever sort of dials / display your bike has - is a Good Thing. These can only get better as technology meets a person's needs. Now if they included a wide-angle forward camera and smaller rear view display, one could go flat on the tank on long rides and not get a 'cricked' neck from looking ahread.
solutions4circuits
I don't see how this thing will integrate into the bike's systems - say the tachometer and speedomoeter. On a sportbike, you cannot rely on GPS for the speed info. The ability to display non-vehicle or navigation could also make this illegal in most states, as it appears to be a phone display extension - phones can play videos. And, for my final bit of negativity - attaching anything to a helmet destroys its ability to remain intact on impact due to a concentrated stress level at the device attachment point. Nifty, but useless, IMO.
Desmond FLechner
Handy & functional innovation and I look forward to having it for my city scooter esp. on the Singapore roads.
Vicki Averlane
For me, it would have to interface with an infra red camera. I want to be able to see animals in the roadway in fog, at night, when oncoming lights are blinding me, without taking my eyes off the road. There is a suicidal bambi out there waiting for me, I just know it.
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