The Forcite MK1 helmet is an Aussie designed motorbike helmet that has a bunch of technology on-board to make your ride, safer than ever.
While fun, there’s no escaping that riding a bike is dangerous. You can have four near-misses on the way to work. Drive straight into a police check, a traffic jam full of road-raging car owners, or hit an unforeseen oil slick and lose it in seconds. In fact, that is what happened to Alfred Boyadgis, a young industrial designer from Sydney Australia.
He shattered his kneecap in three places, the camera attached to his helmet nearly when through his skull, and the massive rotational forces caused by the camera mount’s impact with the road almost broke his neck.
Alfred’s answer to not knowing what’s happening out there on the road: his personal mission to solve the ignorance that can kill the riding experience – and the rider – without a moment’s notice.
Now you can ‘Know Everything’
The new, sleek, ultra-light Forcite MK1 helmet turns safety on its head. Packed with AI, the Forcite MK1 learns more about your riding style everytime you wear the helmet.
From the instant you put it on, thousands of data points gathered from multiple sources are collated and tailored individually to you, your type of bike, your GPS location and the prevailing weather, traffic and road conditions.
These trillions of bytes of information are updated every millisecond of your ride, and delivered to you from the backend server, to the App on your phone, and then to your Forcite helmet at precisely the time you need it – which is before an event happens.
You’ll know where the police are. Know the road surface ahead. Know where to go and when to turn to avoid traffic. You’ll know where to park, where your mates are, and even which pub has Happy Hour. In short, you’ll know everything you need to know to be safe, stay safe and arrive home safely.
Created like no other helmet
The patented Forcite helmet system, known as RAYDAR, combines the latest Formula 1 LED technology, audio interactivity, military-grade camera recording and a fingertip handle-bar controller into a smart, seamless and sensory rider experience.
Unlike others, the Forcite helmet doesn’t have a Heads Up Display (HUD).
“HUD’s are a dangerous distraction. They impede your vision and are hard to interpret, especially at speed”, says CEO and Founder, Alfred Boyadgis, “so we solved that”.
Just like the hi-tech steering wheels of F1 cars, the Forcite helmet gives you coloured visual cues that the brain responds to instantly. These signals appear as an array of coloured lights in a curved display in the chin section of the Forcite MK1 helmet. You quickly learn to trust them as they become second-nature to the way you respond to the road.
For example, flashing green tells you to go left and right. Orange is caution. And flashing red and blue? Well, that would be potential police activity around the next corner.
Better still, your new Forcite MK1 helmet speaks to you at the same time as it sends these messages, so you get total information awareness, without the overload.
“It’s always on, always computing, but not a constant interruption,” adds Jay Chow, Co-Founder and fellow designer. “I like to think of the helmet as your co-pilot” he says.
The audio experience doesn’t stop there. You can take phone calls, talk to your friends on the same journey, and listen to your tracks thanks to the in-built microphone and dual-speaker VOIP operating system.
The hi-resolution camera secreted at the lower front kicks into action the moment you put the helmet on, and can record for five continuous hours. Uniquely, it is angled at a 166° diagonal field of vision so that it captures images in all riding positions, including on naked bikes and super sports – plus you can crop, edit and share your ride footage via the Forcite app later on.
Riding into the future
Everything has been thought of by Alfred and Jay, who met at design school, joined forces, and have already had their work recognised with Gold Good Design awards.
Such is the foresight of these two entrepreneurs, they see themselves building a community of riders just like themselves: people who want a safer, more informed, more connected and more enjoyable bike-riding experience. Currently, this group has exceeded 7,000 people who want to try the helmet and its software in Australia, more than validating the demand.
“This is about the future, about utilising technology to enhance your ride,” said Jay. “And importantly” continued Alfred, “we wanted the tech to give riders more protection when self-driving vehicles hit the road.”
Designed to an extremely high standard
Not only does the Forcite MK1 meet the stringent ECE 22-05 and DOT safety standard certifications, while also abiding to consumer electronics standards, it’s also packed with outstanding design features, such as a retractable internal sun visor as standard.
The two Lithium-Inert batteries, for example, are cleverly hidden within the foam interior – and they won’t catch fire or explode if punctured in a collision.
The black carbon-fibre shell is both ultra-light and ultra-strong, can be ordered in either matte or gloss, across XL, L, M, S and XS. Even with all of the Forcite MK1’s features it weighs in at only 1550 grams – much less than the average comparable helmet.
A total of eight stylish air vents sit flush with the cool, aerodynamic shape – four on the top, and two each at the front and back. Plus there’s an adjustable rear spoiler for precise aerodynamics.
The plush interior looks as good as it feels. Soft, cushioning foam provides a snug fit and is set off with subtle bursts of red along the strap, a red strap button, and even a neat little red tab tucked away at the inside rear.
The discreet gold Forcite logo looks like a warrior’s coat of arms on the front, complemented by the one-off insignia at the back, an exclusive feature of the Founders’ Edition.
In fact, there will only be 1000 units available at launch, on sale now at a heavily reduced price for the loyal followers on Forcite’s Facebook Test Pilots page.
Members can attend test days and try out the helmet on the track, or simply order online. Track days are scheduled across the country.
Where are these available for purchase ??