June 11, 2016

Update #20: BIG Product Update!

Hey everyone, BIG update for you here: New pictures of the FINAL DESIGN of the helmet! Lets get into it.

Production Update:
Things are really starting to come together here. We've started to get the first samples from our production tools:

 
 

These are the first samples of the final design. Its an awesome milestone to witness because you can visibly see the product starting to come together in its true and final form. The result? See for yourself! These are close up pictures of the final product that we’re releasing for the very first time so we are extremely excited, (and a little nervous!) to finally be able to share this with you!

Front view closeup on the white lights - Note the "cloudiness" that hides the underlying LED electronics when the lights are off. 
Front view 
Back view of helmet with turn signal on.
Closeup of the back of the helmet.

The transparency here is actually an accident. This area is supposed to have the same "cloudiness" that you see in the front lights above so that all these electronics get hidden. We were not able to get that done in time for this first sample and for this update, but when we put the transparent shell on, we were a little surprised - We kind of like it! What do you guys think? If you like it too, we might see if we can make a transparent back "special edition" for you guys. Fill out the feedback survey at the end of this update to let us know!

Fit problems from the old beta unit have been addressed and these units fit beautifully now. 

I also made a short video for you guys walking through this sample!

Beta Helmet to Final Helmet - What Changed? 

As you might recall from update #16, through our beta test with over 60 beta testers earlier this year, we determined that the fit of our beta design was not where it needed to be. To fix the problem, we made the tough decision to update the design and do a retooling, which as you know, necessarily meant a delay of the delivery schedule.

But given that we needed to retool anyway to fix the fit issue, we took it as a golden opportunity to overhaul and refine the aesthetic design of the helmet as well, and take it to the next level. 

The result, as you will be able to see for yourself in the comparison photos below, is a helmet design with both significantly improved fit, as well as a sleek and sophisticated aesthetic. 

  • More angled front.
  • More refined lines around the back vent holes
  • Improved design around the power button and charging port
  • Lengthened the turn signal light to bring it further in towards the middle so that it would be more readily visible from directly behind 
  • You can get an even clearer view here of the difference a few curves and lines around the vent holes makes on the overall aesthetic and "feel" of the helmet!
  • We also streamlined the side curvature to give greater clearance to your ears, also giving it a sleeker look.  

Note - These pictures are only of our very first sample. The final unit you receive might look slightly different (eg. color, surface finish etc.)

This is a BIG STEP forward. But there are still quite a few steps involved before we can start shipping out Lumos Helmets! To give you a sense of the timeline and coming milestones:

  • Complete production samples with final packaging and everything (end of June)
  • Passing lab tests (end of July)
  • Commencement of mass production (early August) and commencement of shipping helmets to backers in time for fall (late August)

Remember, orders get shipped out in the order that they were placed, so the earlier you placed your order, the earlier in the shipping batch you will be!

If you have NOT preordered your Lumos Helmet yet, we're still accepting pre-orders on our website at the special pre-order only price. Pre-order today and get your Lumos Helmet in October, just in time for the long nights of fall!

  

Ride safe!

Eu-wen, Jeff, and the whole Lumos Helmet team
Written by JJ Tan