New Jarvish Smart Helmets Hit Market At Only $399

All the tech now available for a tiny price.

By: Sabrina Giacomini

Apr 29, 2019 at 11:00am ET

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Buying a helmet is like buying a Suzuki VanVan—it's basic, straight to the point, there's no fluff or fancy technology, and it's easy to maintain. A good helmet has a sturdy outer shell, comfortable interior padding, a protective visor, and should provide optimal protection against impacts. No fluff. Anything more you might have wanted on your helmet, say a microphone or a camera, pretty much had to be retrofitted. Until now. A Taiwanese company is coming up with the BMW S1000RR of helmets with a pair of all-inclusive shells and the launch price is out of this world.

Jarvish has no small ambition—the Taiwan-based firm claims it will introduce the world's smartest helmet ever made. So what makes their helmet the smartest in the world? First off, the company is launching two models, the entry-level X and more advanced X-AR. Both have an exterior shell made out of carbon fiber, for a blacked out look, and meet the CNS, DOT, and ECE 22.05 standards. Vents on the top of the head and on the chin provide air circulation.

So far, the X and X-AR sound like pretty standard helmets but wait, it gets better. The X is equipped with a built-in 2K front camera and speaker/microphone set, voice-activated commands with Amazon Alexa, active noise cancellation, and built-in navigation. The enhanced X-AR adds AR projection, retractable head-up display (HUD) unit, and a backup camera. And in case you need some company on your travels or want to hear a cheeky joke, the helmet can even be connected with Amazon's Alexa, Apple's Siri, or Google Assistant. The HUD displays such information as speed traveled, speed limit for the area, time, weather, and GPS instructions, as well as caller information, should someone be trying to reach you.

The helmets are expected to have a battery life of roughly four hours. They receive a 16GB removable memory card that can be upgraded to 256GB. They also feature Bluetooth and WiFi capability. That's starting to get pretty smart. Next step, it will make you breakfast!

The two Jarvish helmet models are now available via Kickstarter. Not only has the campaign busted its goal and tripled it in only a day earning $169,417 for a $50,000 goal, early supporters are being treated to a massive discount. The "entry level" X will retail for $699, but during the the campaign, the 150 first pledges will get the helmet for $399. The X-AR will hit the market with a $1,599 price tag, but early birds who get their hands on one of the first 250 units will only need to pledge $899—a $700 discount! Deliveries for the X are expected to begin in April 2019 while the X-AR will follow in September and shipping is free in the UK and in the U.S.