Aprilia has injected some technology into its MotoGP operation in a place where the others usually don't - the pit crew. As per a recent ruling, all pit crew mechanics need to wear helmets, so Aprilia has developed a helmet with a head-up display that will show information on the bike and the parts the mechanic is looking at, in real time.
The DAQRI smart helmet shows the mechanic relevant information about the components he's looking at; information like when the part was fitted to the bike, how much mileage has been put on it and so on. Another tool in the smart helmet is a thermal imaging camera - this will help the mechanic identify any blockages in the cooling system.
The smart helmet will not offer any direct benefits right away, but any tool that helps diagnose a fault early in the hectic qualifying schedule will help. A quicker turnaround time for the rider when he comes into the pits during qualifying could lend him the opportunity to put in one or two more qualifying laps, and that could be a big difference maker.
MotoGP is at the cutting edge of technology, so you can expect more and more teams in more race series to start using this tech as time progresses.
