Skully announced Tuesday that the IndieGoGo preorder campaign for its high-tech motorcycle helmet has been extended by 30 days.
Motorcycle fans will now have until Oct. 9th to buy the augmented reality motorcycle helmet, which allowed the San Francisco-based company to raise $2 million in one month, according to CNET. The campaign's original goal was to raise $250,000 which led to the company exceeding its goal in its first eight minutes on Aug. 11th.
Features of the AR-1 helmet include a 180-degree rear-view camera, electro-chrome face shield, Bluetooth, heads-up display, turn-by-turn GPS, voice control and smartphone pairing.
Mitchell and Marcus Weller, founders of Skully, came up with the idea for a smart helmet after Marcus got into a crash on his motorcycle in 2011, Two Wheel Mania reported. Weller looked at a sign for an instant and crashed into a car that stopped abruptly in front of him. As a result, he decided to create a helmet with a display that would help riders avoid crashes and stay safe on the road.
Marcus said the company looks forward to beginning production of the helmet, which he says is the most anticipated motorcycle helmet in history.
"We are doing something so few companies have the opportunity to do ... we are changing an industry and forcing the world to adapt," he said. "The AR-1 is our little dent in the universe. The AR-1 will introduce a new era in intelligent transportation by combining optics, intelligent vehicle systems and connectivity to deliver unprecedented levels of safety."
Mitchell said the AR-1 has so far been ordered from 43 countries, CNET reported. He added that the helmet runs on Android 4.4 KitKat and that it will receive updates over the air for free.
"Skully will be making ongoing updates to stay current with platforms," Mitchell said, adding that the helmet has attracted customers from a variety of groups," from rocket scientists and Tesla engineers to nurses and bartenders to Indycar drivers and retired AMA [American Motorcyclist Association] racers."
Fans can pre-order the Skully AR-1 for $1,399. The helmet will cost $1,499 when shipping begins in July of 2015, CNET reported.
Skully is looking to put the AR-1 on display at the International Motorcycle, Scooter, and E-bike Fair, which will be held in early October in Cologne, Germany. Motorcycle enthusiasts will be able to try the helmet on at TechCrunch Disrupt, which will take place this week in San Francisco. However, the helmet is not ready to be tested on the road yet.
