Aprilia Racing mechanics use DAQRI Smart Helmet to accelerate bike repair in the paddocks
Technology expected to filter down to Head-Up-Displays for everyday motorcyclists
Aprilia Racing commissioned Realmore (a business unit of Equent Media Group), to develop a software application to be utilised on an augmented reality wearable device, the DAQRI Smart Helmet, in order to visualize AR content that helps the mechanics during the preparation and maintenance of racing bikes.
The technology was put into practice during the San Marino MotoGP last weekend, and while at this stage it looks quite rudimentary, it does perhaps suggest the way of the future.
With AR, Aprilia mechanics are able to visualize content related to motorbike and infographics that respond to the user’s control in real time.
The mechanics can interact with models of pinout connectors and see the wiring capabilities by looking at each connector individually.
This feature involves speeding up the cable connection activity and virtually zeroing the risk of error by the mechanics.
Through a 3D hologram of the entire racing bike, mechanics can see in real time the telemetric data of the temperature of water, oil and tyres at the point where they will be most useful.
Mechanics are also able to make a checklist of the wear on some parts of the bike and evaluate when to do the replacement.
Remote Expert allows the chief engineer to communicate remotely with the mechanics by displaying overlay on the helmet screen strategic information such as the type of tyres to be mounted or the amount of fuel to be in the tank, along with any other variables or prompts programmed into the system.
Using DAQRI’s Thermal Camera, mechanics can also scan the motorcycle and receive information about the temperature of the oil and the water in the radiator and check for any anomalies.
