On to the not so shameless self promotion. I cannot remember if I have ever mentioned that I ride motorcycles for commuting and for fun. I have an amazing opportunity to beta test a motorcycle helmet that is coming out on the market next year that features a 180 degree rear mounted camera, a built in GPS, a built in Bluetooth, and Heads Up Display. I have some work to do to try to get the short list, but I hope that I can get there because this particular helmet looks like it could deliver a cost pleasant augmented reality. There have been other AR helmets in the past, but I have always found that they were too costly, too bulky, too few options, not enough wearer interaction. I think that the motorcycle helmet is a good place to start for AR devices as well. Google Glass is pretty close to market, but I think that by nature motorcycle helmets can offer a good medium for testing exposure to the average consumer. This will force the costs down and functionality up. Having that cost down will also allow other industries to take advantage of the tech and design high functioning apps. I think that cultural resource management could take advantage of technology like this. With AR a survey tech could easily navigate their project area. They can maintain two way communication with their coworkers. They can use cameras to documentation and image recognition. The possibilities are pretty exciting.
Plus it allows me to live out the dream of being a jet fighter pilot.
So, how do I get the opportunity to beta test the helmet? Well, they were not very specific, but they did say having higher visibility on Facebook and Twitter would increase the chances. Skully Helmets is the name of the company. Head over to their website and take a look at the cool stuff they are doing. I need more help though. Get on Twitter and tweet this post. Hopefully it will snowball through re-tweets and I can get my hands on this and review it. With your help I think I can gain the exposure I need.
Onward, to AR domination!