Bicycles have been one of the earliest modes of transportation, however unlike automobiles and motorcycles; bike safety has not really been explored or worked upon. The basic frame work is pretty much the same for bike safety gear. With as much care we are giving to passenger safety in cars and pedestrian safety, not much has been done about the safety of the cyclists.
What bike helmets tend be are very ugly plastic coverings for your head, but do not providing adequate protection on severe impacts. Taking cue of these issues, two Swedish industrial design students Anna Haupt and Terese Alstin have come up with the Hovding Inivisible Bike Helmet. The project started off as a study for their thesis in college and has developed into a major evolution in the department of safety.
The invisible helmet actually is a rap around your neck and will not spoil your hair or be bulky on your head. The invisible helmet is essentially an air bag, which uses a helium gas cylinder which inflates when sensors detect a sudden impact to the cyclist. The air bag covers the entire head and sides much larger compared to a conventional bike helmet, leaving the field of vision open. The invisible helmet contains the shock absorption from the impact, with minimal effect on the rider. The helmet stays inflated for a few seconds in order to sustain additional impacts to the head, post which the airbag will deflate.
The invisible helmet branded as the Hovding Helmet has been designed using ultra-strong nylon fabric that will be able to sustain trashing and ripping during an accident. The invisible helmet is a result of seven years of research and development with thousands of cycling accidents recorded and use of stunt riders, along with normal cycling data which was used to design the helmet in order to understand how the body reacts and how to best protect it.
The invisible helmet carries sensors which will detect any collision that the cyclist may happen to be in and will inflate in a matter of seconds. It uses a battery pack for the inflator and can be charged using a regular mobile charger or by connecting it to your computer using a USB cord. The helmet is a collar strap that needs to be worn around your neck and can be turned on and off while riding. It also has a black box that records the data for 10 seconds after the impact, which will provide crucial data to its makers. The Hovding Invisible helmets also comply with European safety standards (CE) and have succeeded in the various safety tests.
Smart helmets capable of wimax and android or iOS operating systems were considered to be the future; this concept has opened whole new possibilities of safety for bikes. The helmets are currently being retailed at 3998 Swedish Krona (Rs. 38,000/-), but we can sure hope the price will come down depending on the demand for the product. Head on to the video below and have a look at what the Invisible Helmet is all about.
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMAhptqk-4Q 540 375]
