The sun flashes, the gravel splashes, the forest blurs into a green stripe. Adrenalin and endorphins battle for supremacy in a frenzy of speed. The logical consequence is to let go. You only realise that there was a turn 200 metres down the road when the sun behind you illuminates the display on the handlebars again. Bollocks! Experienced a hundred times. At least. You know that, don't you?
Navigating at full speed has its pitfalls. The displays on the handlebars are often difficult to read. And you don't want to be guided by a buzzing computer voice from the smartphone in your rucksack. This could now be a thing of the past. Everysight, a spin-off of an Israeli specialist for pilot helmets, has created the Raptor goggles, the first sports goggles with which comprehensive data and displays can be discreetly projected into the rider's field of vision.
The Raptor replaces the computer and display on the handlebars. It is operated via a touchpad on the right-hand side of the headset or via a wireless controller with buttons on the handlebars. The Raptor has built-in GPS, understands Bluetooth and ANT+, and can be paired with sensors of all kinds, the data from which floats in front of your eyes in up to six individually configurable views. But that's not all: the smart glasses also have voice control and can take photos, film and play music on command. They cannot make phone calls. Fortunately. But a smartphone is required as an interface to set up the glasses and send the data collected to the cloud.
The glasses weigh 100 grams. The frame contains a computer and projector that send data to a partially mirrored surface on the right-hand lens. Right in the centre of the field of vision. The exact position and size of the projection can be set via the app on the smartphone. All other configurations are also made via the app. The glasses can also receive the GPS signal from the smartphone.
The main switch is located on the underside of the left-hand headband, at the end of which is the micro USB socket for charging the internal battery. This should provide up to eight hours of power. Before the first journey, the smartphone and glasses need to be paired, as do the sensors. Then it's time to internalise the operating scheme. Swipe forwards and backwards on the temple, tap, swipe downwards, etc. The menus scroll before your eyes.
Everysight provides open street maps online for navigation. These must be copied into the appropriate folder in the glasses. The track display appears in the field of vision, optionally with a map overlay. The recordings are stored in the personal area of the Everysight cloud, which can be used free of charge. The data can also be exported from there or sent to Strava.
DRIVING REPORT: Off-road with Everysight Raptor
You can forget about looking at flowers. At the beginning of the Raptor relationship, you feel like you're in a jet with the goggles on your nose. The yellow navigation stands out strikingly in the dark tannery, the track turning in the direction of movement and the navigation circle indicating the directional tendency create a low-flying feeling. Encounters with hikers are weird. Am I looking so strange, or do the glasses look so spacey? The virtual level is invisible from the outside, but affects human interaction.
Even on new paths, previously clicked together on maps, I stay on course. A swipe backwards on the handlebar and I can see what's to come in the altitude profile. Navigation and overview: an A with an asterisk! For the forest, however, it should be the brighter screen (89 euros extra), the standard grey is fine when the sun is shining, but not in the undergrowth. Over time, I get used to the flood of information, dimming the projector or switching off the display from time to time. The technology makes a pretty mature impression, I only temporarily lose the wireless connection to some ANT+sensors. There is no automatic brightness adjustment for light/shadow changes.
The 100 grams on the nose are bearable thanks to the good nose wings, but in rough terrain the goggles bounce up to the lower edge of the helmet. There is not much room for the wide temples, they collide with the helmet harness and the contact pressure behind the ears is also high. These are small losses in comfort compared to standard glasses, but functionally the Raptor is a hammer. In difficult terrain, the Bluetooth controller on the handlebars provides more safety than tapping on the goggle strap. The camera performance is okay, but is no substitute for a real camera. After a week with the Raptor, you'll be relaxed enough to look at the flowers again while riding.
Conclusion from Robert Kühnen, BIKE test editor
The Raptor technology is groundbreaking. Navigating has never been more intuitive. The track is always right in front of your eyes and you can hardly miss it. The projection in the glasses is crisp and smart, the operation is good. The data and map can be hidden if required. The main drawback: the goggles are bulky and can get tight under the helmet.
TECHNICAL DATA Everysight Raptor, the data glasses
Web www.everysight.com
Weight 100 grammes
Price 750 Euro (16 GB memory)
Options 32 GB memory (800 euros), brighter interchangeable lenses, frame for corrective lenses, Bluetooth controller for handlebars
Functions Navigate, display data, train, film & take photos, play music
You can find this article in BIKE 12/2018. You can read the entire digital edition in the BIKE app (iTunes and Google Play) or the print edition in the DK shop reorder - while stocks last:
