“You can’t raise venture money in Russia,” Artishchev tells WIRED as Sizonov sets up an intricate array of electronics, wires, and mounts. “Russia is like the U.S. They only want to invest in software, not hardware.”
That’s a common cry from ambitious entrepreneurs around the world, and it’s one reason crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter have come to prominence. Too bad Kickstarter didn’t want anything to do with LiveMap.
“We were on Kickstarter for two weeks and were pulled off,” Artishchev says. “I contacted every person [at Kickstarter] and got no response.” The reason for the radio silence, Artishchev would later discover, is that safety products bring a host of liability concerns, and Kickstarter wouldn’t shoulder the risk. A few days later, LiveMap debuted on competing crowdfunding site Indiegogo, and the helmet started getting attention. Lots of it.
The helmet combines elements of Google Glass with the kind of head-up display you’d find on a fighter-jet. “It’s better than an F35 helmet at $100,000,” Artishchev claims. “But ours only costs $2,000.”
That’s a big statement from a small company, and based on the prototype assembled on the conference room table, they’ve got a long way to go.
In its current form, the company only has a 3-D-printed helmet that’s been polished and painted. It’s just a mock-up — a Daft Punk prop — without electronics, padding, or even a transparent visor. The real technology is a tangle of taped together cords, a custom printed circuit board, and a laser pico projector displaying full color, high-resolution images on a piece of plexiglass dangling from a mount.
It’s powered by two 3,000 milliamp batteries — Google Glass barely gets by with a 570 mAh pack — and links up with 4G LTE. Despite that energy intensive data connection, GPS, and what Artishchev promises will be a “4K resolution” video camera, they claim the LiveMap helmet will run for 10 hours.
Voice controls will be handled by Nuance’s voice-to-text technology — the same company handling Apple’s Siri system — with data pulled from Yelp to provide restaurant and service recommendations, while maps are sourced from Navteq.
Naturally, this cobbled together prototype is rough, but the underlying technology works. Maps are clear, with simulated turn-by-turn directions showing well even in a brightly lit office. The voice searches pull up the best place for seafood when asked, “Where can I get a fish dinner?” And Artishchev says offline maps will be available when riders don’t have a data connection.
But despite lots of press and even interest from some police departments in their home country, LiveMap only has five backers that have pledged $1,500 to get one of the first helmets. And deliveries aren't expected for another year, assuming LiveMap meets the stringent safety requirements in the U.S., Europe, and Japan.
That’s one reason why a partnership with a major helmet manufacturer would almost be a necessity, particularly if LiveMap wants to market its helmet with a $2,000 sticker. “It’s like a high-end camera,” Artishchev says before confirming, “we are working with a famous helmet company.” They’ll need the help and the resources. It’s a great concept desperately in need of a polished execution that only a company like Arai or Bell could pull off.
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