Operations Have Ceased at Skully
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Skully: has the augmented reality moto helmet fallen on its sword?
Skully Helmets, San Francisco HUD Helmet Technology has ceased operations
Unfortunately, the creator of the AR-1 Augmented Reality helmet has been in trouble for a while and raffling off a Ducati this Spring didn’t (couldn't) save Skully.
The site is still up for now but it says Skully’s AR-1 helmet is sold out in every size and no one is able to order. A source told TechChrunch sales were cut off on Monday July 25th, 2016.
Skully pre-sold thousands of its heads-up display helmets so far but the company has been plagued with shipping delays. According to a source via TechCrunch “Skully only shipped 20 helmets so far, which conflicts with another source who said it was more than that but under 100.”
Skully via TechCrunch
Captivated But Skeptical
From the beginning, I was captivated but skeptical and although I regret the company’s demise, I’m not surprised by the outcome. Let me explain.
I’m the consummate technology groupie and my closets of electronics are a testament to the same. Yes, the Skully was a helmet I was keen to try, but not enough to lay down 1500 bucks. Why?
It’s actually quite difficult for a helmet to pass DOT and Snell safety standards. Certification requires helmets to be impact tested from different angles. There was no talk about safety standard testing and without it, the Skully would remain a novelty helmet.
The engineer in me knows HUD hardware requires ports, routings and enclosures, all adding weight to the helmet. I would need to see proof the Skully was safer than my Arai and worth more than a Schuberth Carbon.
The battery. I like to ride for 12-14 hours a day (when I get the chance). Would Skully keep up? Would the battery need to huge to accommodate the ride time (and thus add to the weight)? Or would I have to stop and charge every few hours?
Lastly, this IS technology. Most motorcycle riders keep their helmet for 3-5 years. Technology is out of date inside two years these days, especially in the mobile world. I was not interested in riding around with outdated tech and what if it breaks? Mike at my local garage would not be able to fix it.
In short, I never thought they’d be able to pull it off. Three thousand people disagreed with me and put their money down.
I tried to warn them.
I’m sorry Skully went down and I am totally looking for startups in the HUD and safety space to rise from the ashes. (And no, I’m not talking about clipping a box to helmet and charging $600 for basically a GoPro that connects to your cell phone.)
Look, I believe motorcycles are a hugely powerful transportation option. While motorcycle safety technology is the one and only thing that will bring more riders to the sport, I sometimes wonder if the whole point of riding is to get away from too much tech. As long as I’m safe, connected with friends and know where I’m going, that’s all I need. If you want technology that take all the control out of riding a bike, may as well stick to a fucking car.
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94 months ago
@alex thank you! Lol that's my old account
94 months ago
@alex thank you!
94 months ago
@DanDanTheFireman I feel you. Liked your video by the way. We'll fix your link too... btw, you need to leave a space after the last character in the URL (bug with tinymce). Welcome to the fold.
94 months ago
I voiced my opinion on SKULLY shutting down in my latest motovlog. I think they had too much on their plate and money wasn't going to fix it.
94 months ago
@j4zb4 yup looks interesting.
94 months ago
@alex not really. It was a tech which was too expensive for newbies and which regulars didn't really need. More of a gimmick really in my opinion. I am still waiting for the nuviz thingie. That seems more practical.
94 months ago
This just in from Silicon Valley Business Journal... Intel Capital confirms Skully has shuttered.
Has Skully Helmets come to the end of the road?
Differences between the San Francisco startup's founding brothers, who were ousted earlier this month, and its investors came to an impasse over the weekend, a source with knowledge of the situation told me.
As a result, its 50 full-time employees were reportedly terminated Monday without any severance, vendors may not get paid and thousands of people who put money down on pre-orders and through crowdfunding may get nothing.
“We’re disappointed Skully has closed its doors," Intel Capital said in a statement provided to the Business Journal. "We’ve been focused on the company’s success for nearly two years and have recently been trying to negotiate a funding round to keep it going. We’re certainly sorry for the employees who are losing their jobs, the crowdfunding backers whose investments didn’t work out and the customers who’d pre-purchased product. We continue to be excited by the promise of this kind of wearable technology.”
94 months ago
@j4zb4 @VRSCDX @alexp206 are you surprised?
94 months ago
According to Slashdot.org
"One source claims Weller botched a possible acquisition deal with Chinese company LeSports before leaving the company last week, while another says the deal might still happen now that the former CEO is gone. Weller is saying that he and his brother were forced out of the company after investors disagreed with the LeSports deal. Investors from Intel Capital ultimately determined it was best to simply shut down the entire company instead of trying to salvage the company Weller started. "We're disappointed Skully has closed its doors. We've been focused on the company's success for nearly two years and have recently been trying to negotiate a funding round to keep it going," Intel Capital said in a statement. "We're certainly sorry for the employees who are losing their jobs, the crowdfunding backers whose investments didn't work out and the customers who'd pre-purchased product. We continue to be excited by the promise of this kind of wearable technology."
94 months ago
_On July 12th, 2016 TechCrunch reported _co-founders Marcus and Mitch Weller were kicked out of the company by investors.
No word from Weller yet @MarcusDWeller. Apparently the VCs want Weller to sign a confidentiality agreement. He refused. Maybe there's a movie coming.
Marcus served as CEO of Skully while his brother Mitch served as chief of staff and provided business operations, product management, and material logistics support to the company.
Both Marcus and Mitch are on the Skully board of directors along with Victor Westerlind from Intel Capital and Nicholas Brathwaite from Walden Riverwood Ventures.
If you bought a AR-1, I hope you get your money back.