Heads-Up Displays for Motorcyclists 608
An anonymous reader writes "An NYT article describes a new invention by a former racing driver to incorporate displays in the visors of helmets used by motorcyclists. A GPS receiver in the helmet is used to calculate position and speed of the wearer, and presumably in displaying route guidance. I'll bet some horrifying data could be gathered on the speed with which riders' heads impact the pavement after an accident."
Great (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Great (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Great (Score:3, Insightful)
Comment removed (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Great (Score:3, Informative)
Read the report yourself, before you start preaching, with the baseless expectation that it will support your own idiotic assumptions. BTW, that line is the first and foremost conclusion of the report, and the third sentence in the whole thing.
But that only addresses your second statement, being "The majority of bike accidents do not in
Older bikers... (Score:4, Insightful)
Sadly, what they fail to realise is that the VFR750 they've just bought is a hell of a lot more bike than the CB750 Honda they had back in '75. Well, *initally* they don't realise this. Shortly after getting to a quiet back road, they find this out, usually a little before they realise that hedges aren't very comfortable.
Re:Males aged 18-25, on an 800cc or larger motorbi (Score:3, Informative)
My bike accelerates faster than an average European car and stops quicker than an average European car (0-100-0 mph in 15 seconds) and as any good driver will
Re: (Score:3)
Re:Great (Score:2, Funny)
-Kilka
Google Link (Score:4, Informative)
Brought to you by my sexy subscription! Get yours today at http://slashdot.org/subscribe.pl [slashdot.org]
Re:Google Link (Score:5, Informative)
Funny fact of the day (Score:2, Funny)
Only teenagers and lucky macho-idiots ride donorcycles.
Re:Funny fact of the day (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Funny fact of the day (Score:5, Insightful)
As for people trashing the idea of riding a bike, while you have the possibility of getting in an accident because another driver is not paying attention (or in my case was too old to be on the road) if you drive within the law, stay off the damn sport bikes that have no business anywhere but a track, pay attention to what you're doing, and wear a helmet, you can ride with relative safety.
I'm 21, drove nothing but motorcycles since I've been able to have a permit @ 15.5 years, and loved getting between 60 and 70 Mpg. Believe me, you don't ride a 250 nighthawk to try to look cool or race people, and if that's why you ride a motorcycle, you might as well give up your keys.
For those interested, this was my first accident. I t-boned a chrysler at 40mph, with no helmet on. I was lucky and limped out of the ER 2 hours later with only some staples in my knee and an interesting circular wound to my abdomen from my handlebars. My head didn't touch anything until I came to a rest on the side of the road after getting bounced off her windshield. Had my head impacted anything a helmet would have been more than adaquate to prevent damage.
Re:Funny fact of the day (Score:3, Funny)
I declined the organ donation elective on my license!
Sorry suckers, may as well resuscitate me cause you can't have my guts.
Re:Funny fact of the day (Score:5, Funny)
Darwinian Accelerators.
Still laugh at that one.
reminds me of the movie timerider (Score:2, Informative)
Interesting.. (Score:2, Funny)
You already have a HUD (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:You already have a HUD (Score:5, Insightful)
Isn't that what makes it a HUD, that you don't look down? Indeed, isn't that why the term "heads-up display" was coined, to contrast it to instrument panels that you had to look down to read?
That being said, I agree with the sentiment expressed in your post. Having information displayed on a helmet overlay seems like a great idea, it means the motorcyclist won't have to look down to get information, and more space is available to display a greater variety of data.
Re:You already have a HUD (Score:3, Funny)
Same speed? (Score:5, Funny)
Umm... Wouldn't it be aproximately the same speed that the motercycle was going when it crashed?
Re:Same speed? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:No (Score:4, Informative)
Everyone else died instantly when they slammed into another vehicle, guardrail, divider, or embankment.
It's strange though--even after responding to all these, I still want to get a bike...
vibration? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:vibration? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:vibration? (Score:5, Funny)
SportVue link with images - Motion Research (Score:3, Informative)
HUD (Score:3, Informative)
Re:HUD (Score:2)
Re:HUD (Score:3, Informative)
I'm tempted to cut up the dash on my Viper and try to build one myself. It would be fantastic for road racing...
Distracting (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Distracting (Score:2)
Re:Distracting (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Distracting (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Distracting (Score:5, Insightful)
Back in my day.... (Score:3, Funny)
Gauges, bah! - back in my day sonny we just listened to the hum of the engine and we knew approximately how fast we were going - some drivers increased the accuracy by having an experienced Harley Ho on the back telling the driver their exact speed - we also cooked our grub on the exhaust pipe!
and...we liked it.
PS. I'll bet your one of those sissy geeks that actually use the temperature gauge on your mobo instead of using the old finger lick test...
bad idea. (Score:3, Insightful)
How about designing a display mounted on the motorcycle instead? We're familiar and comfortable with gauges already. This would reduce distraction, and increase safety.
And that said super-duper motorcycle would be out on the street about
You can take your helmet in with you to dinner, or when shopping.
Re:Distracting (Score:5, Interesting)
> clearly shows that the driver was distracted or "filtering out" everything that wasn't an
> automobile.
Or lying.
There was a study done a few years back where they put a bunch of motorcycle cops in civilian clothes on civilian motorcycles, and had them keep track of how many times each day some shithead cager tried to kill them.
They also had a bunch of uniformed cops on police motorcycles do the same thing.
The results were striking. Across all types and configurations of civilian bikes, there was a consistent effort on the part of car drivers to kill them. The uniformed bikers experienced nearly no such incidents.
If you're on a motorcycle, everyone in a car is trying to kill you. If you understand that, you'll stay alive a lot longer.
Re:Distracting (Score:2)
Re:Distracting (Score:3, Funny)
In my experience, the best way to avoid this is to drive faster than everyone else. Pass them quickly, leave them in the rearview.
An Augmented World (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:An Augmented World (Score:4, Funny)
Greetings - I am from the future. I brought with me a picture of you [wichita.edu] on your first date using this technology. Unfortunately you can see that your date has left the table.
interesting concept, but.. (Score:2, Insightful)
Personally, I think I would find it MORE distracting to have all that information in the "periphery of one eye". I'm always looking as far ahead as I can at road conditions, intersections and a million other things. The last thing I want is my vision obstructed
I really don't think this will be a boon to motorcycle safety...maybe if there were a switch on
Re:interesting concept, but.. (Score:2, Interesting)
Friggin Bambi.
Seriously (Score:5, Insightful)
You know the way an interior light in a car is distracting at night because the reflection of things within the car obscure your perception of those outside? I'd feel safer sparing a glance to an instrument on my bike than having it in my face at all times. The helmet already narrows my visual field as it is.
Re:Seriously (Score:4, Informative)
Yes it is.
If, for example the speedometer and engine warning lights were in the HUD then the rider wouldn't have to take her eyes off the road to check them. Think about it for a second. The fighter pilots use it succesfully and damn if they don't have more things in their mind than motorcyclists.
The difference to the interior light reflection is that the reflection is on the wind screen but the HUD looks like it was outside the car closer to the objects the rider already looks at. It's "advanced enough" to me so someone else has to explain how exactly it is done.
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Seriously (Score:2)
Re:Seriously (Score:2)
Even if you could somehow fix the focus problem, as the poster below points out, you would still be obscuring what little visual field I have in a full-face helmet (and catch me wearing anything else). We're talking about a constantly shifting background. Wherever you put the HUD display, it's in front of what is empty space one second, and the nose of a deer the next, or a pedestrian not looking where they're going, the nose of a car or bicycle
Re:Seriously (Score:2)
Re:Seriously (Score:2)
You've hit the nail right on the head. But the real problem with heads up displays is
Re:Seriously (Score:2)
Me too, but you have to admit sometimes the neighsayers are right and the new technology or idea is crap. Not in this particular case, imo. I'm still waiting for the cell phone fad to die.
Have you ever driven a bike? (Score:5, Insightful)
I drive a Suzuki Hayabusa. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, it's a bike basically built for insane speeding. It starts to accelerate seriously around 80 mph, from where it kicks you up to 180-190 mph while leaving your guts behind.
(As a side note here, speeding is not seen as a particularly serious crime where I live. It's regarded more like a sport. A friend of mine referred to speeding tickets as "fun tax".)
Anyway. When you're cruising down the highway at 140-150 mph or so, there's just no looking down at the instrument panel. The concept of looking down does not exist on this planet. Your focus is ahead, on the road, on the traffic. And sharply so.
Therefore, this is something that will actually make you READ the speedometer. Read the speedometer AT ALL. As it currently stands, the only speed indication you have as a sportbiker is the pitch of your engine, because you sure as hell aren't taking your eyes off the road.
In these conditions, the "spare of your glance" which you are talking about, means you are unaware of the road and the traffic for a minimum of 100 yards travelled (about one second to look down, refocus, and interpret what you are seeing).
So, bring on any and all information you can onto my visor. Anything that rests in my field of view is good, if it means I don't need to take the eyes off the road.
Re:Have you ever driven a bike? (Score:4, Informative)
I've been on a Yahaha 650XS Heritage Special for the last 11 years; thanks for asking.
I have been in situations where a glance down at my instruments is inopportune. It has never caused an accident because I do it quickly and my eyes are back on the road. FYI I also check my side mirrors when I change lanes or turn, and in that moment my eye is also not on the road ahead.
Maybe you've been riding for 20 years. Don't know; don't care. This is not a pissing contest. In my view, having something extra in my field of view that has no relation to the background I'm constantly scanning does more harm than good. I know the approximate RPM of the bike from its feel and sound. I've never gotten so crazy on it that I'm surprised by my speed when I check it. What exactly could you put on that HUD that would offset the additional risk, pray tell?
The cool factor does not cut it. Maybe on four wheels.
Hmm, you're right (Score:5, Insightful)
When going with the flow of traffic, looking at the speedometer is not important. When ignoring speed limits altogether, looking at the speedometer is not important, either. And like you say, you get the rpm info from the engine pitch, which is plenty.
So I swiftly turn 180 degrees to "get that crap outta my eyesight, I don't need it".
I guess what triggered my post was your reflection that it's much safer to look down. That I still don't agree with, but that's another story.
You are right that I haven't had a deer wander into my peripheral vision, vectoring towards where I'm going to be driving in a split second. That's mostly because they're not so common here, though. Pedestrians happen. Cars definitely happen. The guy who taught me to ride always told me to drive like I was wearing fluorescent clothes, and the first car driver to hit me would win the $1 million jackpot. I still think he has a point.
So, mea culpa, you're right, get this crap off my gear.
(and just for the record, I always wear protective gear: full helmet, bulletproof vest against sharp metal, impact protection jacket, and full-body sliding protection.)
Re:Hmm, you're right (Score:3, Informative)
First time for everything. Like to think I'd do the same. Cheers.
Yeah, had the deer. My dad in the truck behind me says it looked like the doe jumped right over me, but what happened in fact was she bounded out and we eyeballed each other for just a moment before she decided to veer just behind me in a leap. Kind of slo-mo beautiful, in that I'm-about-to-die kinda way.
I like the jackpot idea. I still wear all the gear (in 30-40 Celcius heat) and try to keep people guessing on the road, t
Re:Hmm, you're right (Score:4, Insightful)
Would you really mind if a brake warning light popped up to tell you that you had just lost all your brake fluid?
Also, it doesn't have to be on every second you're on your bike. It could pop up for half a second to indicate what gear you just shifted into. Warn you that redline is approaching, and otherwise only show up when you push an easy to reach button.
There's no good reason this can't be configuable enough to give to only the information you want. It IS safer than looking down, and having it be off most of the time would let you spot those deer.
Awesome, peruse /. while.... (Score:5, Funny)
Safety Angle? (Score:5, Interesting)
Other ideas:
- The helmet should also play mp3 and display the song at the bottom or top each time it changes (tho this could be distracting, and the RIAA would oppose it
- 0 Lux camera to superpose picture at night to improve visibility on highways and blacktops. But with enough intelligence to supress the flaring of incoming vehicle
- SMS !! So you can get localized spam from nearby stops and restaurants (joke)
BTW: no bikers i know would even want to know/care the speed and deceleration of their heads hitting pavement. I believe the whole point of riding a bike is not to crash
Re:Safety Angle? T.I.C (Score:2)
On the other hand the flaring problem would be solved
Seems like a good idea . . . (Score:2)
The only questions I'd have about it (having read their site, but not the NYT article) would be how much does it weigh, and how does the off-center mounting of the display affect the helmet's aerodynamics? If it's designe
No 'murdercycle' reference? (Score:5, Insightful)
There are three issues that overwhelmingly appear in motorcycle fatalities. The first is alcohol. Alcohol use BY THE MOTORCYCLIST is the number one rider controllable factor in fatalities. Eliminate alcohol, and you eliminate 25% or more of motorcycle fatalities and accidents. That is why Harley does its customers a disservice by providing beer tents at events. Because of the number of factors a rider must juggle, the effects of alcohol are more readily apparant on bikes than cars.
The next issue is ignorance by other road users, primarily passenger vehicle operators. Nope, bikers aren't getting squashed by semis, they're getting squashed by SUVs and minivans. I've long been a proponent of tougher licensing standards in the US.
And the final issue is rider skill. Riders who are self taught or taught by friends and family are over six times as likely to be involved in an accident. That's why the MSF [msf-usa.org] came into being. Yes, I'm an instructor, no, I don't speak on their behalf.
The value of HUDs, particularly WRT driver/rider safety at highway speeds found in the US (where this inventor is located) is of questionable. Lack of access to engine and/or vehicle statistics doesn't even appear in any accident statistics. Sure, this is a neat toy, but judging by the writing by the AC submitter, I think he's just pissed at having been passed by even the most mundane of motorcycles [refundersrefuge.org].
Re:No 'murdercycle' reference? (Score:3, Insightful)
I think the beer tents are there to lessen the sticker shock of Harley paraphenalia.
Re:No 'murdercycle' reference? (Score:2)
In your opinion.
> All people in authoritative positions
mmm, generalizations.
Wait, I have one for you: Generalizations are always valid. Yupyupyup.
> like to dazzle people with their use of extra-syllable jargon.
You're "dazzled" by that phrase? I'll try to be extra cautious if I need to jingle my keys or point my laser pointer at the floor.
Depends on the bike/rider/situation (Score:4, Insightful)
If you've never ridden before, don't condemn or judge or pretend you know anything about motorcycling. Until you've tagged your favorite twisty road on two wheels, just ridden 150+ miles to have breakfast with your buds, or just ridden to be out... I can't explain it to you. You have to experience it.
If you ride, keep the shiny side up! Winter won't last forever...
poor taste... (Score:3, Insightful)
wish I could mod "-1: distasteful"...
As a rider myself... (Score:2)
No no no. (Score:4, Informative)
Further, when I go riding I spend most of the time with my visor up, to feel the wind on my face and enjoy the ride. Why would I want to keep my visor down, just so that it can tell me I'm speeding when I already know?
Re:No no no. (Score:5, Informative)
I don't ride, so I'm not speaking from experience. (Score:2, Insightful)
incredibly poor idea (Score:2)
This is not even vaguely related to the conditions of riding a motorcycle (or bicycle), where the rider needs to be continuously evaluating what
One end or the other... (Score:2, Funny)
Or on the amount of heat generated by a pair of "ass brakes".
Two practical questions (Score:3, Interesting)
Related to the above, wouldn't it be better if the GPS receiver/electronics could be integrated into the motorcycle and then connected by wire (or perhaps by Bluetooth?) to a compatible helmet, saving some potential weight in the helmet? It would also make the helmet less steal-worthy.
I'm not a motorcycle rider myself, but I'm the curious sort. :)
Comment removed (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Two practical questions (Score:3, Informative)
Operational, medical benefits (Score:2)
radar (Score:2)
OT, I'm curious about the appeal of riding. I understand having the sun shine on your face and the wind in your hair, but a convertible "cage" seems more enjoyable to me than a bike. I'm a careful, cool-headed driver so a motorcycle seems reckless. I've ridden a few times, but it n
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, but... (Score:2)
...will it help you make turns on city streets at 200mph? [blueyonder.co.uk]
I really wanted a motorcycle helmet HUD like this when I was a kid.
Situational Awareness (Score:2)
Detracting from that experience would seem to be somewhat dangerous.
How does the "power bike" experience differ from the "chopper ride"?
This will confuse more riders than it helps... (Score:3, Funny)
I did a fleet management project using GPS-able PDAs in trucks. We had to kill the big spedometer in our interface because the GPS delay caused it to fuck with peoples' heads.
If they're serious about this, they need to either hang a Hall effect sensor on the output shaft of the engine, or tap into the bike's speed sensor line if it has an engine-control processor and then relay that info to the helmet with bluetooth or something. Otherwise it just won't work.
This is a distraction (Score:5, Interesting)
If I am on a twisty road, and going very hard (I am thinking of the fabulous Duffy Lake road, a very remote and senic one, famous within the sport rider community in BC, on which I have never seen any scenery), there is no way I am going to use a speedometer at all. In that case, one doesn't use the tach either. Though it is true that a rider at the limit is not easily able to use gauges (a very athletic activity that invloves moving your body aggresively forward, back, and to the sides to change the weight distribution of the bike), the pace of events is too fast for them to be of any use anyway. Race bikes don't have speedometers, and the tack is usually oriented such that at redline the needle is pointing straight up. With experience, you do not need to look directly at it.
An important skill for fast road riding (even more so than on the track) is a zen-like ability to scan your visual field without fixating on anything. Particularly when you 'see' something you must avoid. Looking at an obstacle will often result you riding right into it! Anything that adds distraction in that visual field is not useful. I hold that a rider at the edge needs less information (just the important stuff), not more.
Spare me the head up display. I can see it now, mounted on the helmets of Gold Wing riders everywhere, helping them know the speed at which they are adjusting their radio pre-sets.
That said, how about making that GPS provide you some route data? Arrows that flash left or right, according to a pre-planned route, with a heading? I think that might be more useful and safer than a tank bag map...
Remember: always ride with two fingers over the front brake. Unless your hobby is rock climbing, and you are on a CBR 900. Then use one. DOH!
Homebrew for the car (Score:2)
Re:Homebrew for the car (Score:3, Funny)
i have some fat LEDS mounted in the dash of my vw bus that reflect off the 'screen to remind me that my turn signals are on (the self cancel no longer works as i've swapped the steering wheel) but it doesn't work very well in daylight.
As yet another motorcyclist... (Score:5, Insightful)
Only those who haven't ridden call them 'donorcycles' or wonder about the speed at which a rider's helmet touches ground during a wreck. Seriously, that was the lamest comment I've seen yet at ./ ... and that's saying something. I wish I had mod points today. Do me a favor -- if you even thought about making a comment like that, go take a motorcycle class. The MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) or your local equivalent (i.e. TeamOregon in, uh, Oregon) offers them in every state. Taking that class is guaranteed to make you a better cage driver, and you could walk out of it with a motorcycle endorsement and an appreciation for the lifestyle and risks that motorcyclists accept in exchange for being able to bomb down that perfect canyon.
As for the HUD ... I don't need any other distractions. Riding a motorcycle, by itself, requires 3 times the concentration that driving a car does. Add in the fact that everybody else on the road is quite literally trying to kill us ... and then add in some serious distractions from a HUD, and you've got a recipe for disaster.
HUDs in cars are a good idea, but motorcyclists are already at their information saturation limit.
As one more biker... (Score:4, Insightful)
I like my guages where they are, and putting something like that in my helmet is just a recipe for disaster as my eyes try to focus in and out between the display and the road and the horizon. It would lead to a lot of eye strain, which directly translates to extreme danger for a motorcycle.
Thanks... but no. The only time a motorcyclist could safely view data like that is when he or she doesn't need it.
Easiest software ever (Score:5, Funny)
while(true) {
if( isGoldWing() ) {
print "Speed: Too slow";
} else {
print "Speed: TOO FAST!");
}
if( rider.age() < 23 ) {
print "Reminder: You suck for wearing a tank top, shorts and sandals.";
} else if( rider.age() > 50 ) {
print "Reminder: You bought a Harley for the vibration, there are cheaper and more portable alternatives";
}
if( speed < mph(60) ) {
waste_of_bike++;
}
excitement_factor += random() + radar(CONST_SUV, 42.0);
if( stoppie_detected() ) {
dumpRider( "You cocky fool" );
}
}
Nissan had this a while back (Score:3, Informative)
WTF kind of comment is that? (Score:5, Insightful)
CowboyNeal, you are a fuckwit of the highest order.
Motorcyclists are half as likely to be involved in an accident as other road users. You want to know why? Because we're fucking careful on the roads, we actually *observe* what's going on around us despite the fact that when you look up from doing the crossword, driking your latte and putting your fucking contacts in you think we're going too fast when we pass.
So go on, you sit stationary in your cage in that traffic jam for 3 hours of your life every day.
the usual crap..... (Score:3, Interesting)
Troll? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:It's only a matter of time (Score:2, Funny)
No way in hell. (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:So why are they waiting on tollbooths? (Score:2)
Automated or random checking of all motorists is considered an unwarranted search in some legal systems.
Re: (Score:2)
Re:boing (Score:2, Funny)
* speed
* trip distance
* number of FRAGS
* ammo remaining
That would be sweet.
X-Ray vision would be neat during confrontations with a rough/tough bikey gang member in a bar. You can see if they have a knife or a gun. Although you would look like a dag wearing a helmet in a bar - you could choose your fights carefully and live.
Re:How about a turn signal (Score:2, Interesting)
I used to have a habit of this as a learner rider and was taught to check the indicator whenever I change up gears. As you most often change down gears before a corner, it works out surprisingly well.
Riders don't need a HUD. They need better training to get rid of bad habits.
Re:It somewhat bothers me (Score:4, Insightful)
Two autumns later he dove off his bike to avoid being crushed by a half-ton when he heard it's brakes lock on a bridge downtown. The man is super-experienced on a bike, and he's dangling for dear life on a friggin guard rail.
Yeah, motorcycles are dangerous if you do stupid things on them. Motorcycles are dangerous if you are Mr. Safety, too, because there's always the other half of the equation -- the idiot who comes out of nowhere.
Saying that, I still ride, but I don't pretend there's no danger.