Every rider wants to feel highly visible and as safe as possible while cruising city streets. One way to enhance this is by wearing a helmet with integrated lighting; One that offers turn signals and brake lights is even better.
Gamel’s ‘The Remarkable’ is the first helmet to offer integrated turn signals activated by a simple nod of your head. The helmet also includes an automatic brake light function. Gamel first introduced The Remarkable luminous helmet with a successful Kickstarter campaign last year. They’re now offering a full production model directly through their website.
The Remarkable helmet recently earned Gamel a 2024 Road Safety Innovation Award from France’s Road Safety Delegation. It is certified for use in the USA and Europe.
The Remarkable Helmet – Construction:
The Remarkable helmet features thermoformed construction. It comes in one shell size, with the fit adjustable from 55-59 cm. In addition to cycling this helmet is also suitable for inline skating, skateboarding, scooters, etc., but please note it is not intended for electric bikes that exceed 15mph.
For ventilation, The Remarkable helmet has slots above the front light, above and below the rear light, and three more large ones up top. Its interior padding is held in place with Velcro, so it can easily be removed for washing.
The helmet offers a dial-operated retention system with three positions of height adjustment. The chin strap includes a Fidlock magnetic chin buckle, Y-buckle side adjusters, and a soft cover on the strap.
The Remarkable helmet features a unisex design, and comes in four color options – Black, Cream, Blue or Khaki. Its weight is listed at 390g.
Electronics:
Now what makes this helmet special is the electronic components and features. The Remarkable boasts wide front (white) and rear (red) LED light strips, which provide visibility from all angles.
The Remarkable helmet is equipped with a gyroscope and an accelerometer to detect your head movements. A nod in the direction you want to turn activates the turn signal, but it also sounds a beep to let you know it’s picked up your movement and the signal is working. I think the audio cue is a great idea, after testing a light-equipped backpack that simply didn’t work at least half of the time and left the rider no indication.
To activate the turn signals, the rider tilts their head in either direction between 15-30°, then returns to an upright position. The turn signal blinks for eight seconds after it’s initiated, and the helmet beeps twice to let you know the signal has stopped. Both the front and rear LED strips blink to indicate turns.
To indicate braking, a speed sensor makes the rear light brighter under strong deceleration. All rear LEDs light up continuously for two seconds, then switch to a smooth flashing mode for six seconds.
Taking cues from your movements, The Remarkable helmet works without a smartphone app or a remote control. It is not reliant on a Bluetooth connection, reducing the chance of functional failures. The helmet has an IP55 water resistance rating, and its operating temperature range is -20c to 50c.
Operation:
The Remarkable helmet’s power button is located on the back of the shell. A three second push turns the helmet on and a beep indicates it has powered up. Two beeps let you know the helmet has been switched off. On startup, the helmet will conduct a self-check, then beep twice to indicate it’s ready to ride. After the battery life is shown (more details below), the front and rear lights both turn on automatically.
The helmet offers four operating modes suitable for varying visibility conditions. In Night Mode, the front and rear LED strips stay lit, while the turn signals and brake lights are functional. In Night Mode Without Turn Signals the front/rear LED strips are continuously lit, and the brake light remains active but the turn signals do not.
Ideal for extending battery life, a Daytime Mode keeps the front/rear LED strips turned off while cruising, but they will switch on to activate the turn signals and brake light. Finally, an Alternate Mode leaves the front and rear lights flashing, while the turn signal and brake light functions both remain active.
Users switch between operating modes by pressing the button on the rear of the helmet twice. The double-tap was configured intentionally to prevent accidental switching between modes.
Battery Life and Charging:
The Remarkable helmet comes with a magnetic battery charger, and its run time is about 10 hours. Battery life is displayed on startup, via five red indicator lights located under the power button. The lights indicate battery life at 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100% (left to right). The indicator lights will stay on for three seconds but can be triggered again by switching between the helmet’s modes if you don’t catch them.
The LEDs also indicate the battery’s charge status in a similar way. At less than 20%, all LEDs will blink from left to right. As the battery charge reaches 20%, 40% and so on, the LEDs (from left to right) will stay on steadily to show what charge level you’ve reached. When all five LEDs are lit continuously, the helmet is fully charged.
If The Remarkable helmet drops below 10% battery life, four beeps will sound twice in a row let you know it’s time to recharge. This warning repeats every five minutes, but you only get a few of them: after three warnings the helmet will turn off.
The Remarkable helmet and its electronic components are covered by a one-year warranty. MSRP is €249 euros (approx. $270 USD).
