BMW’s new head-up display will make motorcyclists safer
IN ROAD traffic it only takes a fraction of a second or a brief distraction to put a motorcyclist in a dangerous situation.
After BMW became the first European car manufacturer to introduce a head-up display as optional equipment in 2003, the technology’s now headed for the two-wheeled market.
BMW’s Motorrad motorcycle division has demonstrated a helmet head-up display (HUD) which allows bikers to have non-distracting information always in their sights.
Shown at last week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the prototype BMW helmet projects information directly into the rider’s field of view. It means the rider no longer has to glance at the instrument panel and is able to concentrate fully on the road traffic.
It displays what’s on a typical in- strument panel including speed, temperature, gear, and fuel level. It can also be programmed for a lot more information, depending on the rider’s needs, including warnings of impending dangers, speed limit and road sign recognition. Cameras contained within the helmet can deliver a live feed from the rear, effectively substituting for the mirrors.
An action camera inside the helmet can record video footage of the journey, while this technology also enables the visualisation of other riders in a motorcycle group, showing the rider where his companions are at any given moment.
The helmet, which is also fitted with an integrated mini-computer and loudspeakers, is controlled from the left-hand handlebar fittings using the BMW Motorrad multicontroller.
As well as operating the camera, this allows the rider to quickly select the information he or she requires.
BMW says the necessary information display technology can be integrated in existing helmets, without affecting either wearer comfort or rider safety. The operating time of the system with the two replaceable batteries is around five hours.
BMW Motorrad expects to bring this technology to series-production within the next few years.