Heads-Up Displays Hit the Real World (At a Decent Price)

Every gamer knows the usefulness of the heads-up display, or HUD, that little window on the screen that tells you how much health you have, how many bullets you have left, and which way the bad guys are shooting you from. While HUDs have been the subject of many an experiment (especially in automobiles), not much has ever come of this technology in the real world. Until now.

Motion Research demonstrated a real-world HUD at CES (and I promise this is my last CES post), designed for use with a motorcycle or bicycle helmet. The SportVue HUD attaches to the visor area of a helmet, letting you see important information without taking your eyes off the road. (Well, not much off the road. I tried on a SportVue motorcycle helmet and still had to glance upward a bit in order to see the display in the HUD. Still, it was much less movement than looking down at the speedometer would have taken.)

Various model SportVues offer different information in the HUD. The MC3 relays speed, RPM, turn signals, gear position, and even police radar alerts. The BT1 works via Bluetooth to display caller ID and text messages from your cell phone. The LT1 is designed for those in lap races, keeping track of lap times, fastest lap, and so on. Prices are quite affordable: $149 to $299.

I tried to take a photo of what the HUD actually looks like, but this proved difficult due to its location on the inside of a motorcycle helmet. Still, you can get a sense of what it looks like on the inside here. That's the exterior of it shown above.

What do you think, Yahoo! Tech bike enthusiasts?