No More Blind Spots: Intelligent Cranium Helmets iC-R Puts Tech Where Your Mirrors Used to Be

Motorcycle helmets with head-up displays (HUDs) aren’t exactly breaking news—military prototypes date back to the '60s, and pilots have been using them since the '80s. But what is newsworthy is the jaw-dropping level of tech crammed into the newly launched Intelligent Cranium Helmets iC-R, which hit the market at the start of 2025 after nearly a decade in development.

Leading the charge is the iC-Rs+, a tech-laden brain bucket priced at a wallet-wrecking £1539, but for that, you’re getting everything. The HUD in front of your right eye? Standard. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay integration? Of course. But the real game-changer? A pair of rear-mounted cameras that stitch together a 240-degree view of the road behind you—essentially making mirrors obsolete (for solo riders, at least).

And that’s just the beginning. The helmet is watching your back—literally—with dual proximity sensors scanning for hazards. A built-in LED taillight helps make you more visible, while a front-facing 1080p camera records your ride onto a generous 512GB of expandable storage. That same storage can double as your music library, piped through to a built-in headset that supports group comms for up to 15 riders (provided your riding buddies also drop the cash for one).

Still not impressed? How about a photochromatic visor that adjusts to light levels, voice controls for hands-free operation, and a bar-mounted Bluetooth controller? Battery life ranges from five to seven hours, with a full charge via USB taking around three hours.

For those who want to save a few quid, lower-tier models offer variations of the tech package:

• iC-Rs (£1390) – Drops the photochromatic visor and storage is halved to 256GB.
• iC-R (£967) – Loses the front-facing camera, storage shrinks to 128GB.
• iC-Re (£540) – The "economy" model ditches the cameras entirely, keeping a basic comms system and blind-spot alerts while retaining HUD-based navigation.
  

No matter which version you pick, all iC helmets come with an emergency crash detection system that can automatically alert emergency contacts—because high-tech safety should be for everyone.

Intelligent Cranium Helmets first started developing the idea back in 2015, raising hundreds of thousands via crowdfunding, and now, nearly a decade later, the first production models are here. The company confirms that the lids have undergone ECE 22.06 certification testing, with units being made to order.

So, are these helmets the future of motorcycling safety, or just another expensive gimmick? At £1539, one thing’s for sure—you’ll see the road like never before… just make sure you don’t also see your bank account crying.