Some years ago, I found myself down the rabbit hole that is smart helmets and was particularly excited about the Skully AR-1 because of its heads-up display (HUD) and rear-facing camera. Sadly, accusations of financial mismanagement and the like, which resulted in the company being shut down, just a couple of helmets madeit into the world. Meanwhile, Sena discontinued their Momentum Inc Pro smart helmet with subsequent modles like the Stryker and Phantom focusing more on communications and sound. The Phantom does have Active Noise Cancellation, which is kind of dope.
I suspect that one of the challenges with developing a smart helmet is that it seems as if primarily technology companies exploring the space — Sena started in 1998 as an industrial technology company focused on Bluetooth and wireless networking. There have been murmurings over the years of motorcycle brands and helmet makers but nothing concrete, until now.
One of the world’s leading helmet manufacturers, Shoei, recently announced at EICMA 2025 (the 82nd International Motorcycle Exhibition) the launch of the Shoei GT-Air 3 Smart, which the brand bills as “the first helmet with integrated augmented reality”. The standard GT-Air 3 helmet is Shoei’s top sports-touring helmet.
In developing the helmet, Shoei has focused on what they do best while collaborating with French company EyeLights, which specialises in developing heads-up display systems for motorcycle helmets. Founded in 2016, EyeLights first launched the EyeRide HUD in 2017 as a small projector-based display that could be fitted onto any motorcycle helmet.
The company has since refined the EyeRide, including through Kickstarter campaigns, making it an all-in-one augmented reality unit with Bluetooth connectivity, speakers/microphone and smartphone integration that displays navigation information, speed limits and road alerts on a small screen in front of the rider’s right eye. And it is compatible with all types of helmets and with prescription glasses, which is important for people like me with limited eyesight and a discomfort with contact lenses.
It is available for Android and Apple iOS, displays Waze and Google Maps, is powered in full colour by Sony’s Full HD nanotechnology, can connect with other riders ensuring direct communication when on a ride. It also has an app, Captain Rider, that enables the rider to control brightness, volume and make group calls, among other features.
With the Shoei GT-Air 3 Smart, EyeRide is built into the helmet, including the HUD, battery, speakers and microphone. The battery is said to last up to 10 hours and the HUD provides information including speed, navigation (for 3 metres ahead of your line of sight) and calls. Other features include an unlimited range universal intercom and an active noise cancellation microphone. Siri and Google AI voice assistants are integrated into the system and you can control certain functions on your phone, such as calls and music.
Additionally, there are five colours tpo choose from: white, matte black, matte metallic blue, matte metallic gray and realm TC10.
Hopefully, we see more “smart helmets” with HUD from traditional helmet manufacturers on the market. I have taken enough wrong turns when commuting because I depend on voice notifications from navigation through earbuds.
