Reputed Italian helmet manufacturer AGV announces its all-new LCD visor, an add-on which is aimed at offering a new solution to the eternal problem of riding in excessive light. While the technology is not new, we can never blame people for trying to come up with new gadgets.
Swapping clear and dark visors may be one way to deal with changing light conditions, but this only works when riding in sunny weather and entering poorer light, overcast areas or when the evening is approaching. The rest of the world uses the helmets’ integrated sun visors or good old sunglasses. Still, no one has given up the chase for the ultimate visor which can alter its tint on request. Problem is that these items are not exactly cheap, and this is sort of back to square one.
Still nothing new under the sun
Other manufacturers have been playing with electrochromatics for quite some time now, and we have reported on numerous similar designs, with the Nitro Optical Shutter Dimming Helmet Visor and the Akari AX-11 being only two of them.
AGV uses the same technology which involves a thin LCD film attached to the visor, with the rider changing its tint using a helmet-mounted button. The tint can be zero, as in clear visors, half-dark and full-dark. Obviously the full-dark retains decent visibility to keep things in the safe zone. Electricity comes from a rechargeable battery which provides 55 hours of half-dark and 12 hours of full-dark operation. Recharging can be done anywhere with a mini USB connector, which is convenient, and a failsafe system allows riders to return to clear state even if the battery goes dead.
The recharging thing may not be the most appealing thing to some riders, especially those who already have gadgets which need recharging upon them or installed on the bike. Still, this doesn’t take any of cool factor away, but really, it’s just one more battery to remember charging before the ride. And there’s the added wind noise which might also be a down side for some riders.
However, the most important downside of the LCD visor is its price, which is said to be somewhere around €200 ($223 today) and which adds to the cost of the AGV GT Veloce, Pista or Corsa helmets, on which the current visor can be attached ay the present time.
Want to look cool and protect your eyes from strong sunlight with a single press of a button and on the fly? Ready some cash, because such magic sure ain’t cheap. Whether it’s worth the money or not, you’re the only one who can pass judgement. If you don’t understand German, the video after the jump will not make you much smarter, but it’s cool to see the LCD visor in action.
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