An Italian optics research firm might have just tackled literally the biggest issue I face while motorcycling: the sun in my eyes.
Irid’s liquid crystal-based technology tints helmet visors to cut glare in an instant. It actually takes less than a second, and it doesn’t even require battery power to work.
The transition is automatically triggered by bright sunlight – and it returns to normal when you go through a tunnel or it gets dark outside. This means you don’t have to take your mitts off the handlebars to fiddle with a switch on your helmet, like you would with an additional drop-down visor that’s mounted on the inside of conventional models.
IRID: The Revolution Is Here
Convenience aside, this is a big deal because adding a drop-down visor to a helmet means it won’t pass muster with Snell’s stringent safety standards that are demanded by many racing competitions. Enhancing visibility in harsh sunlight can make things far more comfortable for riders, and potentially safer too.
When applied to create helmet visors, Irid’s light-sensitive photochromic system uses liquid crystal film, a solar panel, a high-precision base lens, and an advanced mirror coating. And while other chemical-based photochromic visors that engage when hit with UV rays exist, they can take close to a minute to transition, or become activated even in cloudy conditions when they don’t need to.
When light hits a solar panel mounted at the top of the visor, it immediately powers the visor’s liquid crystal film for an instant transition. Irid says the visors also feature an anti-fogging inner layer, and are resistant to scratches.
Irid Technology
Irid was founded by three siblings who started out trying to improve ski goggles to have a better time themselves on the slopes. Subsequently, they got to work on helmet visors and then began partnering with established helmet brands.
That brings me to some more good news: these visors are now available through French helmet maker Shark. The co-branded visors can be fitted to Race-R Pro, Aeron GP and Aeron lids, generally suited for track use.
SHARK X IRID
They come in clear, dark, and iridium blue tints, and cost €390 (about US$460). The helmets themselves, meanwhile, don’t come with them, so you’ll need to invest at least €800 (~$950) for one of the lower-end Aeron models to get started.
Shark
Hopefully we’ll see Irid’s platform expand to accommodate more brands – and hopefully come in at a more affordable price point as it grows. Meanwhile, you can find the visors on Shark’s online store.
Source: Irid