For decades, practically all manufacturers of motorcycling attire have been working in isolation in research and product development. In contrast to that, the idea to combine the resources of several companies, each of which specialises in a certain area, is relatively new: It was late in 1999 that Antti Valtakari (Rukka, Finland) and Antti Kortesuo (Tampere University of Technology, Finland) first dreamt the dream of the perfect motorcycling outfit together - and soon thereafter, began to develop it into a feasible concept.

While offering maximum safety and comfort, the outfit was to convince with a pleasant styling as well, and it should be possible to incorporate the latest in communications technology. Riding suit, helmet, footwear and gloves, that became clear very soon, would have to be developed in an integral fashion right from the very beginning to harmonise perfectly with each other. Instead of exploring completely new ground in the development of helmets and footwear, it made much more sense to seek cooperation with experienced partners - specialised manufacturers with the best possible know-how in their respective fields, just like Rukka itself.

These partners had to be selected with care, though. Only companies undertaking their own product development were worthy of consideration, companies that test their products thoroughly and systematically. Manufacturers whose philosophy comprises quality standards just as high as Rukka's and who ideally had a well developed sales structure in the same markets as Rukka. Although a multitude of brands vie for the customers' favour, it soon became clear that only a few met these requirements.

With FREYdaytona and Schuberth, Rukka managed to convince two of the most renowned European manufacturers of motorcycling boots and helmets, respectively, to the SRO Project. The fourth partner is the Tampere University of Technology/Finland, which had been linked to Rukka even prior to the SRO project through an extensive collaboration in the fields of materials research and product testing for years. Also, the Nokia Research Center could be won as technology partner to cover electronic systems and their integration.

In May 2001 the SRO project entered the final planning stage. At this point already, the Finish national technology agency Tekes - in its capacity as the Finish industry's most important financial partner in applied and industrial research and development - agreed to coordinate the project's funding with all member companies. The project's preliminary time horizon was set on the year 2009.

Prospects

The broad spectrum of viewpoints depicted above makes clear that the SRO project partially fulfils a prototype function for the participants. At the same time though, the target to develop tangible products and real-world solutions within a cooperation of several corporations has been viewed as one of the project's cornerstones right from the start. The first generation Smart Rider's Outfit, launched on the Intermot 2002 trade fair in Munich, Germany, is therefore scheduled for release in time for the 2003 season. It will be distributed via selected dealers which also cooperate with Rukka, Daytona, and Schuberth. These partners will be offered special trainings to ensure sales competence.

Furthermore, in view of recent advances and developments in the fields of mobile communication and "Personalized Digital Assistants", it would be conceivable to widen the product range from motorcycling apparel toward other leisure activities like skiing, bicycling or even professional apparel, in which Rukka's parent company L-Fashion has years of experience and a first hand knowledge base.