SMART HELMET

AHEAD is a device which can be snapped onto just about any helmet, instantly transforming it into a smart wearable. Upon attaching it to your helmet, you pair it up with your smartphone. From there, you are able to enjoy listening to your favourite tunes, carry a conversation with someone else, obtain directions to get to your destination, have a chat with Siri and perform a slew of other smartphone-related activities — all the while maintaining a decent level of safety as your ears remain open while your hands are not occupied by other things apart from controlling the bicycle.

Tipping the scales at a mere 65g, Ahead will snap securely onto your helmet with one of three included slide brackets. Doing so is a snap, as there is no need for any kind of tools when it comes to installation, and it is easily reusable even when you upgrade your helmet to a new one, or perhaps indulge in a different kind of sport that would require a helmet.

Ahead will rely on an oscillator to pass sound directly into your helmet, and it works on virtually all kinds of helmets, be they open or closed, padded or thin. Such technology will be familiar to those who are used to bone conduction, but rather than pass the vibrations straight into your head, Ahead will send those vibrations into your helmet.

Apart from that, a pair of narrowangle microphones can capture sound from just in front of your mouth, while running it through a proprietary algorithm. This special beam forming technology is capable of eliminating nearly all ambient and wind noise at up to 60km/h (40 mph), while transferring your voice to your smartphone for crystal clear conversations. Expected to retail for US$120.