Cardo, Midland, Uclear, and Sygn House collaborate on industry sizing standard for helmet comms

[advrider]

Four manufacturers of helmet comm systems are collaborating on a new industry standard, but it’s not what you might expect. It doesn’t have to do with device-to-device communication—they’re setting an industry standard for sizing.

After years of each comm manufacturer making devices in a wide range of shapes and sizes, Cardo, Midland, Uclear, and Sygn House have agreed on standard measurements for their comm units. The announcement comes as global motorcycle helmet manufacturers move towards Europe’s new ECE 22.06 standard. This means mass revamping of their lineups, and as Shark, HJC, Bell and everyone else design new helmets, they want those products to be able to accept a wider range of comm units.

In previous years, many manufacturers inked deals with a specific comm maker to build a unit that could be re-branded and integrated into a hidden-away pocket in their helmets’ shells. Now, they will be able to deal with any of these four brands, and customers can purchase those helmets and expect their comm to fit, unless they’ve got a Sena, which wasn’t on the list (perhaps that’s coming?). Note the photo above—all the involved comm set manufacturers will make equipment that fits into this space, same as car stereo makers have settled on specific sizing standards. The announcement said “While many helmet manufacturers have experienced demand for integrated communication solutions, until now this has been a significant R&D effort for each brand without a widely acceptable standard solution and without the advantage of duplicating this effort to new helmets. With the Universal Communication Solution, consumers will potentially be able to select their preferred brand of device, mounting the chosen unit cradle into a standardized cavity in the rear section of the helmet, linking to integrated speakers and microphone.”

Well, everyone likes the idea of saving money, so if this lowers R&D costs, that’s probably a good thing. The next question is, will helmet manufacturers actually take advantage of this development? You’d think so, but you never know how sensible ideas will actually play out in the world of motorcycling.

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