GoPro has filed patents outlining a motorcycle helmet that combines an integrated camera, rider-facing microphones, and a rear-facing audio system designed to monitor traffic around the wearer. The documents offer an early look at how the action-camera company could extend its Forcite helmet work.
The proposed helmet places a camera in the chin bar behind a flush cover. A set of upward-facing LEDs would project colored signals onto the visor, with different patterns intended to communicate information such as navigation directions.
Sound Instead of Radar
The more unusual part of the design is the rear-facing microphone array. GoPro’s patent describes using microphones, machine-learning software, and cloud connectivity to estimate where nearby vehicles are located and how far away they may be.
Accelerometers would track head movement so the system could account for the rider turning to check a lane. The software would also be trained to separate the motorcycle’s own engine and exhaust noise from sounds coming from surrounding traffic.
A Connected Helmet Still Has Limits
Using sound to identify vehicles could keep the helmet lighter and less expensive than a design built around multiple cameras or radar hardware. Wind, traffic, different vehicle exhaust notes, and urban background noise would give the processing system a difficult set of conditions to interpret.
GoPro acquired Australian smart-helmet maker Forcite in 2024 and later worked with AGV on helmet development. The patent does not confirm a production model, but it shows the company is looking beyond recording rides and toward connected rider assistance.
For a related look at the technology already reaching riders, see our guide to motorcycle smart helmets and connectivity features. I will be watching for evidence that GoPro can turn the patent’s audio-monitoring concept into a road-ready product.
Source: Australian Motorcycle News, GoPro
