Photo: Skully
We stopped counting the number of delays in the delivery of the Skully AR-1 augmented reality helmet, but we can tell you that you still have to wait for it. A recent email from Skully indicates a new delay of the delivery, while not mentioning any anticipated date for the actual start of shipping.
We're not sure how the people who preordered the Skully AR-1 will receive politically correct expressions such as "scheduling change" or "new delivery date." But the cruel reality is that there's no Skully helmets arriving at the doorsteps of the early bird adopters.
The same message mentions that the company is facing "DFM (design for manufacturing) issues," and we feel like we have to explain this a bit. When creating a product, it all starts with an idea that turns into a sketch, and then into a project. Then, a prototype product is made, or more, as the final shape of that particular product is being refined.
Even though a prototype becomes fully functional, it doesn't mean that the work is done. The parts that make the prototype have been produced in a very small run, and are often one-offs. However, manufacturing these parts on a large scale and keeping the costs competitive might, at times, be a challenge that's even bigger than creating the entire prototype.
Apparently this is what happens these days at Skully with the AR-1, and until ALL the components are ready for mass production, we'd still say that we are dealing with a state of advanced prototyping.
Skully says that the full-scale production will kick off on April 20, with some of the finite helmets subject to the final compliance and validation process. After certification, Skully will begin (they say) deliveries to final customers.
"It is in this ramp up we realized that a redesign of the main board was needed. We are proud to say that the new design is complete and the new boards have been delivered to the manufacturing facility. Components have been mounted to the boards and qualification testing will begin next week. After the testing, a handful of AR-1s will be built to run EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) testing and re-certify for FCC compliance. We are highly confident that this will solve all of the manufacturing issues we've encountered," Skully's message adds.
The same message mentions that the company is facing "DFM (design for manufacturing) issues," and we feel like we have to explain this a bit. When creating a product, it all starts with an idea that turns into a sketch, and then into a project. Then, a prototype product is made, or more, as the final shape of that particular product is being refined.
Even though a prototype becomes fully functional, it doesn't mean that the work is done. The parts that make the prototype have been produced in a very small run, and are often one-offs. However, manufacturing these parts on a large scale and keeping the costs competitive might, at times, be a challenge that's even bigger than creating the entire prototype.
Apparently this is what happens these days at Skully with the AR-1, and until ALL the components are ready for mass production, we'd still say that we are dealing with a state of advanced prototyping.
Skully says that the full-scale production will kick off on April 20, with some of the finite helmets subject to the final compliance and validation process. After certification, Skully will begin (they say) deliveries to final customers.
"It is in this ramp up we realized that a redesign of the main board was needed. We are proud to say that the new design is complete and the new boards have been delivered to the manufacturing facility. Components have been mounted to the boards and qualification testing will begin next week. After the testing, a handful of AR-1s will be built to run EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) testing and re-certify for FCC compliance. We are highly confident that this will solve all of the manufacturing issues we've encountered," Skully's message adds.
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