helmet
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Plush Pac-Man headgear munches on ghosts
We've seen some pretty off-kilter headwear in our day, but this plush Pac-Man helmet apparatus is begging for a top slot. This uber-retro head hides no secret in-ear headphones, Bluetooth chip, or whispering voice that alerts you of colored ghosts approaching from the rear, but you're sure to be the life of the party if you roll up with this on your noggin. Reportedly, this spectacular blast from the not-too-distant past is available in both child and adult sizes, but considering that quantities "are limited," we'd suggest coughing up that $29.99 real quick like if this just skyrocketed to the top of your must-have list.[Via Core77]
Terrifying bike helmet filters bad air, increases fear
If you've been worrying that small children weren't frightened enough when you pedaled your bike down the street, 22-year-old Luke Pannell, a Brunel University industrial design student, is here to help. The young inventor has created a biking helmet that he's dubbed "Breathe Air," which in addition to looking like a cross between Michael Myers, a Storm Trooper and The Predator, also features a filtering "shield" over the mouth and nose, which cuts particles and dust, then expels them through a plastic tube when the user exhales. The helmet isn't currently in production, but the designer hopes to find a manufacturer, then market the device for around £100. Now all it needs is an attached Bluetooth headset so you can communicate back to the Death Star without taking your eyes off the road.[Via Boing Boing]
England's helmet camera initiative to go countrywide
As if the police and traffic wardens across the pond didn't have enough gadgetry to unwillingly tote around on the job, the Home Office is reportedly set to dole out £3 million ($6.1 million) "to equip police forces across the country with head camera technology." The decision has been made after earlier trials supposedly resulted in a reduction in violent crime, increase in arrests and convictions, and best of all, "less paperwork for the police." Notably, a set of guidelines will recommend that cops inform the culprits that they are indeed being taped, but that the footage won't end up on C.O.P.S. without their expressed written consent. Wait, we thought that human police in England were being phased out?[Via The Register]
Buy Halo 3 Spartan helmet for only an arm!
Somehow, someone is selling a Halo 3 Legendary Edition Spartan helmet on eBay months before the game releases. Seller kira_sendo supposedly purchased the helmet from a Microsoft employee who received the helmet via his connections within' the company. And we believe the story, because the listing looks legit enough. But look at that pricetag! Currently, the bidding is up to $166 which doesn't include the game, just the plastic Spartan helmet. We've heard plenty of grumblings about the Legendary Edition's pricetag before, but this takes the whole expensive helmet argument to a new level. No thanks, we'll pass on this and wait until September.[Via XYBA Podcast]
Get your own Daft Punk helmet... maybe
As far as bands go, Daft Punk is certainly one of the hardest for fans to emulate, with robotic suits and teams of animators unfortunately pretty hard to come by. Those with the dough to spare now have at least one option at their disposal, however, as the manufacturer of the duo's Discovery-era helmets is now offering to sell 'em to you for the hefty price of $65,000 apiece. It's apparently not quite that simple though, as you'll also have to somehow get permission from the band to call the helmets your own. Assuming you manage to do that, you'll then have to wait a whole year for the folks at LED Effects to put one together for you. Of course, you could also go the DIY route - and if you do, be sure to send us some pics.[Via The Daily Swarm]
Up close and personal with the Legendary helmet
Still on the fence about which Halo 3 edition you should get and wish you could take a closer look at the Legendary Edition helmet to see if it's worth the money? Well, you're in luck, because Destroyer over at the Spanish Overpal forums posted some of the best Halo 3 Legendary Edition helmet shots we've seen yet. The pictures showcase every angle of the helmet, including the inside, the box, the serial number on the back, its base, and even the cloth bag the helmet comes in. And after viewing these photos do you think the Legendary Edition is worth the extra cash if a person just wanted the Spartan helmet container?[Via youNEWB]
BMW Motorrad's neck brace system gets a price
While BMW is no stranger to the motorcycle helmet arena, the Motorrad division has went and gone official with its neck bracing system in the UK. Introduced in November of last year, this safety-minded technology utilizes Kevlar, carbon fiber, and padded foam to create a plate that sits between a rider's shoulders and any helmet in order to "provide optimum protection for the spine during an accident." Due to the materials used in construction, the contraption is both lightweight and rigid, and two side clasps enable rides to easily strap it on similar to a collar. The idea is of course to stop the head from moving too far in any direction whilst in a collision, but the team does state that "the rider is also able to retain freedom of movement needed when driving." The neck brace system is available now at Motorrad dealers for £325 ($648), and while there's no word of a US release just yet, we can't imagine it being too far behind. Another shot after the jump.[Via Autoblog]
Twenty20 helmet camera records sweet jumps
It's not like the world really needed yet another alternative when it comes to helmet cams, but considering just how diminutive Twenty20's iteration really is, we can't kvetch too much. The ten-ounce device comes ready to record with a battery pack, helmet mount, external microphone, and a CMOS image sensor. The company claims that the OmniVision-equipped camera can last a whopping 16 or so hours from a single 9-volt cell, and the aluminum exterior supposedly protects it from any bangs, bruises, and extreme temperature damage. As expected, you will want to bring along your own video recorder to capture the action that the unit records, and just in case you're hoping to capture a bit more of what's going on, the outfit even sells a wide angle lens kit, motorcycle mount, and wired controller for your convenience. The basic camera set is available right now for a reasonable $249.99, and while we wouldn't recommend endangering your life just to capture a jaw-dropping vid, we're sure the collective YouTube universe will appreciate your valorousness.
APD alert: Wii Helm
ThinkGeek is apparently offering a brilliant new product: the Wii Helm. Besides the +7 charisma you'll obviously receive, the Wii Helm allows one to strap in a Wiimote to the top of a sleek, shiny helmet to free up both hands for other endeavors. The demo video shows a daring pioneer in her quest to utilize head motions to conquer Wii Sports.Yes, it's a joke, and a clever one at that. But upon watching the video, we here at the Fanboy could only think of a glorious future, in which the official Night at the Roxbury game features realistic head-bobbing for super-mega-funtime. Truly amazing.Another "joke" at ThinkGeek involves this tie, which we thought was horribly cruel, because it is awesome in every single way. However, torrents of furious E-mails (nineteen of which were ours) have forced ThinkGeek to actually start manufacturing the product in the near future. Viva la 8-bit![Thanks to Dustin, Alex, and Liqwid!]
Plantronics and Quicksilver team up for Bluetooth / iPod-enabled winter gear lineup
Seeing newly-unveiled outerwear touting iPod / Bluetooth connectivity is becoming a winter tradition it seems, as these blustery days bring about visions of new coats, helmets, lift tickets, and never letting go of your dear DAP / cellphone. This time around Quicksilver is seeking the technological know-how from Plantronics as it offers up a "limited edition" lineup of snow-ready gear that plays nice with your iPod and BT-equipped handset. The Double Daffy Snow Jacket sports Plantronics "stereo sound and voice technology" via Bluetooth, and should hit retail stores for $370 soon, while the presumably corresponding Pulse Helmet rocks a lightweight, ABS-infused design, side vents, and a black camo motif for $249.95. For the ladies in the house, the Teen Angel Snow Jacket caters to the female agenda for $340, and the partnering Shiver Helmet will run you $249.95. While no hard availability dates were mentioned, all the new kit will be on display at the SIA conference in Las Vegas through the end of the week, and we assume it'll hit your favorite ski shop shortly thereafter.
Archos unveils Helmet Camcorder for Generation 4 PMPs
Apparently snapping shots on a whim to tell your life story just isn't good enough these days, as folks are writing scripts to take unplanned photos of their groggy faces and strapping head-mountable cameras to their skulls in hopes of producing the next worldwide YouTube hit. Jumping on the "record everything, everywhere" bandwagon is PMP-producer Archos, and its aptly-named Helmet Camcorder gives you on-the-go recording ability that reportedly plays nice with the company's 404, 504, 604 and 604 WiFi units. The "plug-in mini-cam" records directly to MPEG4 and sports a built-in microphone / remote to somewhat control the insanity, and can presumably be channeled instantly to your Archos PMP or transferred to your PC via USB 2.0 for future editing. The company claims "DVD quality" (640 x 480 resolution) results from the 0.25-inch Sony Super HAD CCD, and the entire webcam gets its juice from the mighty Archos device that it's plugged into. So if you still haven't gotten around to using your PMP for television recording, you can make a few comedies of your own this winter for just $149.99.[Via Tech Digest]
