Skully Fenix ​​AR motorcycle helmet head-up display

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Skully Fenix ​​AR motorcycle helmet head-up display
Photo: Skully

Skully Fenix ​​AR motorcycle helmet head-up display

Skully Fenix ​​AR motorcycle helmet head-up display

Skully Fenix ​​AR motorcycle helmet head-up display

Skully Fenix ​​AR motorcycle helmet head-up display

18th pictures

Skully Fenix ​​AR motorcycle helmet head-up display
Skully

1/18
After there was actually no more hope for the Skully AR-1 and the responsible company had to give up, it should now work with series production.

Skully Fenix ​​AR motorcycle helmet head-up display
Skully

2/18
Somewhat surprisingly, new company owners announced that they would continue the development of the motorcycle helmet with head-up display.

Skully Fenix ​​AR motorcycle helmet head-up display
Skully

3/18
The company’s new CEO is no stranger to the motorcycle industry: Ivan Contreras already heads the GasGas and Torrot companies.

Skully Fenix ​​AR motorcycle helmet head-up display
Skully

4/18
From now on the helmet is no longer called Skully AR-1 but Skully Fenix ​​AR.

Skully Fenix ​​AR motorcycle helmet head-up display
Skully

5/18
The standard version will cost $ 1,899. A carbon version of the helmet is also planned.

Skully Fenix ​​AR motorcycle helmet head-up display
Skully

6/18
The innovative functions of the helmet are retained.

Skully Fenix ​​AR motorcycle helmet head-up display
Skully

7/18
In addition to a head-up display, the Skully has a camera on the back of the helmet that is intended to capture the surroundings at a 180-degree angle.

Skully Fenix ​​AR motorcycle helmet head-up display
Skully

8/18
Originally, Android was supposed to act as the operating system. The new company management has decided to increasingly rely on a smartphone connection, which should enable most of the functions via app.

Skully Fenix ​​AR motorcycle helmet head-up display
Skully

9/18
Music can thus be streamed or made on the phone by voice command. Navigation should also be made easier thanks to the integrated display.

Skully Fenix ​​AR motorcycle helmet head-up display
Skully

10/18
The rear-facing camera is intended to transmit what is happening in the driver’s back to a small display in the helmet visor.

Skully Fenix ​​AR motorcycle helmet head-up display
Skully

11/18
The Skully AR-1 was originally supposed to be available from May 2015.

Skully Fenix ​​AR motorcycle helmet head-up display
Skully

12/18
This is what the function plans of the old Skully AR-1 looked like.

Skully Fenix ​​AR motorcycle helmet head-up display
Skully

13/18
The basic concept of the helmet is reminiscent of Google Glass.

Skully Fenix ​​AR motorcycle helmet head-up display
Skully

14/18
The display should show helpful information while driving.

Skully Fenix ​​AR motorcycle helmet head-up display
Skully

15/18
The two founders of the startup company Skully are Marcus Weller and Mitchell Weller. Both had to leave the company in summer 2016.

Skully Fenix ​​AR motorcycle helmet head-up display
Skully

16/18
Already 27 days before the end of the project, the crowdfunding project had exceeded its target of 250,000 US dollars by 436 percent.

Skully Fenix ​​AR motorcycle helmet head-up display
Skully

17/18
The first copies are to be delivered in summer 2018.

Skully Fenix ​​AR motorcycle helmet head-up display
Skully

18/18
Hopefully the delivery will not be delayed again.

counselor

technology & future

Skully Fenix ​​AR motorcycle helmet head-up display

Skully Fenix ​​AR motorcycle helmet with head-up display
New CEO, new name, new opportunity?

For the actually failed Skully AR-1, things now seem to go on. A new management should enable series production. In addition, the motorcycle helmet equipped with an innovative head-up display was renamed Skully Fenix ​​AR.


Slawomir Niewrzol,
Slawomir Niewrzol

02/28/2018

Not many new motorcycle helmets have caused as much enthusiasm and frustration as the Skully AR-1 in the recent past. In addition to the technical innovation, the motorcycle helmet with head-up display also impressed visitors with its sporty design when it was launched in 2014 on the Indiegogo crowdfunding platform. The other features of the helmet presented at the time: 180-degree camera on the back, navigation system, voice control, Bluetooth connection, powerful battery and Android as the operating system. The price: $ 1,400. The two company founders, Marcus Weller and Mitch Weller, were able to achieve the Indiegogo campaign target of US $ 250,000 accordingly quickly. After just four days, US $ 2,446,824 was collected. You might think that there is enough money to start a successful series production.

But you thought wrong: initially the start of delivery was postponed several times. Shortly thereafter, the investors separated from the two company founders and finally it was decided to close the company completely. What happened to the money raised through pre-orders is still not certain to this day. Many pre-orderers are likely to have written off their deposit. The prospect of a refund or delivery of the product was virtually hopeless until last week. Now there is apparently a happy ending for all buyers. This week it was announced that new investors will now continue to run the failed company.

Skully Inc. becomes Skully Technologies


Skully Fenix ​​AR motorcycle helmet head-up display


Skully

From now on the helmet is no longer called Skully AR-1 but Skully Fenix ​​AR.

The company’s new CEO is Ivan Contreras, who comes from the motorcycle industry and already heads the GasGas and Torrot companies. He should help the Skully AR-1 to a successful market launch. As a first measure, the company name was adapted. Skully Inc. became Skully Technologies. After that, the product name was also changed: the helmet will be called Skully Fenix ​​AR in the future. At CES 2018, the newly formed company presented the further developed Skully as a prototype at its own stand. At the trade fair, visitors were able to get their own picture of the helmet’s functions and try it out on a simulated test drive. 

The technical properties that the former Skully makers once promised are still integrated in the helmet. The new developers have set themselves the goal of creating a closer connection to the smartphone. Most applications should work in conjunction with an app installed on the smartphone. The display and the camera should still be able to be used without the smartphone. The battery life, which was originally supposed to be nine hours, is said to have been reduced to four hours. The battery is charged via a microUSB cable. With the help of a power station, a longer battery life should be achieved. The standard version of the Skully Fenix ​​AR is said to cost $ 1,899. In addition, there should be a carbon version. The expected delivery date of the first copies: summer 2018.

But another happy ending for pre-orderers?

Finally, good news for those who pre-order the Skully helmet. The new management has announced that the first fully produced helmets will go to those who received nothing back then and have been waiting for their helmets for two years as part of a so-called “Make It Right” campaign. According to insider information, it is said to be around 2,000 helmets, for which US $ 1,500 was transferred from pre-orderers at the time. Before Skully Technologies can make the first profits, helmets worth 3 million US dollars must first be delivered to the pre-orderers. Further information for pre-orderers and supporters of the crowdfunding campaign is available at https://skullytechnologies.com/skully-nation/#MakeitRight.

When we asked the new marketing manager at Skully Technologies, we were also confirmed that there were also pre-orders in Germany which are now to be supplied first as part of the “Make It Right” campaign. General sales in the USA will then take place. The global market launch will only begin later.

If you are interested in the history of the Skully AR-1, you should not miss the following paragraphs, in which the previous course of the Skully AR-1 is shown.

Skully – it all started with an Indiegogo campaign

Message from 07/27/2016: Layer in the shaft for the Skully AR-1. What has been suggested in the past few months is now a fact. After the young start-up company postponed delivery of the motorcycle helmet with head-up display several times and the two founders were kicked out by the investor group two weeks ago, it is now finally over.

The investor group has decided to close the company. Almost 50 permanent employees lose their jobs. A total of around 1,500 copies of the helmet are said to have been pre-ordered. It will be exciting to see what happens to the amounts of money that have already been paid. The only thing that is certain so far is that investors in the crowdfunding campaign will not receive any money back. It is not yet known what it looks like with orders placed on the official website. However, the chances of a refund should be manageable.

Message from 07/15/2016: After the next delivery deadline was missed, the investors parted ways with the two company founders, Marcus Weller (CEO) and Mitch Weller (Head of Staff). Martin Fitcher, previous COO, will become the company’s new CEO and will now drive the market entry of the Skully AR-1.

In addition to the elapsed deadlines, there were other differences between the management staff and the two Weller brothers, according to Martin Fitcher. After the founders announced in 2013 that the Skully AR-1 would be produced entirely in the USA, it was recently announced that the helmet is currently being produced in Asia in cooperation with MHR (LS2). So far, a total of 15 million US dollars has flowed into the project through investments and crowd funding campaigns. Whether there is anything left of it and whether the Skully AR-1 will ever be finalized is at least doubtful.


Skully Fenix ​​AR motorcycle helmet head-up display


Skully

The function plans of the old Skully AR-1.

Message from April 2016: The Skully AR-1 was originally supposed to be available from May 2015, but then the market launch was postponed to December 2015. Now it’s getting even later: According to the official website, delivery is to begin in late summer 2016. The manufacturer has now also given reasons for the delay: The step from prototype to mass product was underestimated. Due to cost reasons, the main board, which is responsible for the electronics, had to be redesigned. According to Skully, the development of the individual components has now been completed. Mass production is scheduled to begin on April 20, 2016. After further tests and successful certification of the end product, delivery to the customer should finally begin.

Skully has also made some adjustments to the price. After talking about US $ 1,400 for the US and US $ 1,500 for Europe in the past, the Skully AR-1 is now available for pre-order for US $ 1,499 in the US. There are also additional costs for a delivery to Germany. A purchase we simulated came to a total price of 1,828.78 US dollars.

Message from September 2014: A motorcycle helmet with a transparent display, voice control and a rear camera with a 180-degree viewing angle is currently thrilling motorcycle fans on the Indiegogo crowdfunding platform. A young startup company started the campaign for the Skully AR-1 on August 10, 2014, with a target of 250,000 US dollars. Just four days later, this target was exceeded by 436 percent. A total of US $ 2,446,824 was raised.

The concept of the full-face helmet is basically reminiscent of the Google Glass data glasses. In particular, the camera on the back of the helmet in combination with the display integrated in the visor, which is intended to enable drivers to see what’s happening on the road behind them, inspires many interested parties. In addition, it should be possible to keep an eye on the navigation through the small display. With the help of voice control, commands can be transmitted to the smartphone while driving. Communication systems that are already on the market can also do this.

The Skully AR-1 can be connected to the smartphone via Bluetooth. The battery is said to last for nine hours before it has to be recharged via microUSB. Thanks to a GPS antenna, the helmet also masters street navigation. In addition, road maps and other apps (which should appear in the future) can be saved on the integrated memory. Android is used as the operating system.

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