A month or so ago, Can-Am pulled the covers off its first-ever electric motorcycles. The Origin and Pulse are both mid-sized electric two-wheelers that appear to have a lot of potential. And while their limited range leaves plenty to be desired, there’s no denying that Can-Am is hopping onto the tech bandwagon with full force.
To that end, it seems that Can-Am’s parent company, BRP, is developing an entire range of products to suit its electrified exploits. You see, the company recently filed a patent on a new helmet that looks like it just might be the perfect pair to the Can-Am Origin and Pulse electric motorcycles.
It isn’t just any old helmet. Instead, it's one of those fancy “smart helmets” that comes complete with a built-in comms system. Please note, at this point it's not clear whether this comms system will be compatible with units from other manufacturers like Cardo and Sena.
But even apart from the standard communications system, the helmet also gets some pretty nifty amenities. For starters, it gets a heated visor, which serves as an alternative to a Pinlock anti-fog lens. Surely, this seems needlessly complex as I think Pinlock visors work perfectly fine. But you do you, BRP.
The helmet even has a built-in taillight for extra visibility in low-light situations. The design also features a flashlight mounted to the side of the helmet. Said flashlight comes with its own battery, and can be removed and used independently from the helmet—something that will surely come in handy when time comes for you to push your Can-Am Origin home once it’s run out of juice.
Kidding aside, the patent describes the helmet in a way that’s excessively complex, as most patents do. But in essence, the helmet has a battery pack which powers a communications device, speakers, a microphone, and a light at the back. It’s by no means a novel invention as we’ve seen quite a few smart helmets like this in the past, with some even going bigger in terms of tech with built-in cameras, and even a heads-up display a la Iron Man.
Nevertheless, there’s a problem with Can-Am’s smart helmet, and it’s a problem with pretty much all other helmets that come equipped with built-in comms and other fancy gadgets and gizmos. It’s that a lot of riders, myself included, have preferences when it comes to the comms systems we mount onto our helmets.
And by dictating that riders need to use a proprietary comms system for a particular helmet, Can-Am is inevitably narrowing its potential clientele. After all, nearly all riders use multiple helmets, so imagine the hassle of having to familiarize yourself with multiple different comms systems every time you switch your helmet.
Now, I know I may be getting ahead of myself here, as this smart helmet is just a patent and not even in production yet. But I can’t help but feel that some manufacturers just might be overcomplicating things a bit too much. We’re seeing stuff with way too much tech which, if you look at things from a longevity standpoint, are just more things that could break and render your fancy piece of gear useless.
Call me old-fashioned, but I think I’ll stick to simple, non-smart helmets for as long as they’re around. What about you, though? What do you think of all these smart helmets loaded with fancy tech? Is it all just a gimmick, or is it really the way of the future? Share your thoughts in the comments.
