BMW Motorrad, the branch of the brand dedicated to two-wheelers has just lifted the veil on its latest creation: the ConnectedRide Smartglasses. It is a pair of connected glasses, which use augmented reality for a head-up display when driving a motorcycle or scooter. But the price will obviously be very salty.
We’ve all seen those sci-fi movies where the characters wear glasses on their faces that can display various information directly in front of their eyes. Well for a few years now, this technology is a reality. More and more companies are working on the latter, which is even of interest to car manufacturers.
A practical system
This is for example the case of BMW, and more precisely of its Motorrad division, dedicated to two-wheelers. This has just lifted the veil on its latest creation. This time it is not a vehicle, but a system designed to make driving more pleasant and safer. So here are the ConnectedRide Smartglasses.
An unexpected revelation, while the manufacturer, which unveiled a concept of an urban electric motorcycle in 2021, had never communicated on this subject until now. In parallel with the announcement of the brand new scooter (125 cc and 50 cc) BMW CE 02, the brand has therefore launched this new product, which fits perfectly with the newcomer.
But what is the interest of these glasses, seemingly quite banal? To find out, you have to slip them on his nose. And there, we discover that these actually use augmented reality. As can be seen in the screenshot below from a promotional video from the German manufacturer.
They are designed to replace the instrument cluster, displaying all driving data. A kind of improved head-up display in short. The company press release specifies that the driver can access various information such as the speed or the gear engaged and GPS navigation.
As you will have understood, this technology is compatible with all motorcycles and scooters, electric or not. It should therefore be able to be used in particular by owners of CE-04, the zero-emission scooter (exhaust) from the German firm, now offered for rent for 180 euros per month. But also with the brand new BMW CE 02.
What’s the point ?
But concretely, how does it work? In fact, the operation is very simple, since all you have to do is connect the glasses to your smartphone via Bluetooth. If the manufacturer does not specify it, it is probably necessary to have previously installed the BMW Motorrad Connected appitself connected to the motorcycle and displaying various information such as navigation or music.
The glasses will then be able to display the navigation indications (using arrows), the speed limit as well as the current speed of the 2 wheels. On thermal motorcycles, the gear engaged will also be displayed.
The display can then be adjusted via the motorcycle’s handles, while the positioning can be changed to suit everyone’s view. These glasses are also equipped with a lithium battery, which offers battery life of up to 10 hours. It can be recharged via a USB cable provided in the box upon purchase.
How much does it cost
Note that the lenses can be transparent or tinted and that they can be adapted to the driver’s vision by an optician. These glasses can operate in temperatures ranging from -10 to 50 degrees, and we already know their price, which will be salty. In fact, you will have to pay no less than 690 euros to offer you a paironly available in anthracite grey.
This technology reminds us of what Nio offers with its Air AR Glass, augmented reality glasses allowing you to watch a movie without the need for a screen in your car. Earlier this year, the firm TCL also unveiled similar technology, while Apple recently formalized its Vision Pro, which should be more difficult to obtain than expected.
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