Invisible helmet

[IsmaielDeath]

Watch this: Invisible helmet video (it is just 3 minutes of your time )

 

Now tell me what you think of this.

 

Do you use normal bicycle helmets?

Would you wear one of those invisible ones? Why or why not?

How much would you pay for one?

Cool invention? Or stuff no one needs?

 

I myself can't ride a bike (my balance is way off...) but I have many friends that do. They mostly don't use helmets (because they are ugly, big and whats not...) but I really would like they'd have something to protect them in case of an accident. So the invisible helmet may be just what they need?

 

Eager to hear your thoughts.

[Zaxian]

Officially AWESOME. I've got pretty big hair (long + curly) and one of the reasons that I don't cycle to work is because I don't want to cycle without a helmet - it's unsafe* - but I don't want to mess up my hair with a helmet. I would love to buy one of these but at the moment they're priced at 3998 SEK (swedish kronor) which is about £380 or $600. Which is more expensive than my bike

 

Btw, http://www.hovding.com/en/index/ is the actual product website and has a bit more info about it.

 

ETA: *Actually, I feel I ought to mention that there are lots of bits of conflicting evidence about whether it's actually safer to wear a helmet or not. Wearing a helmet protects you from some injuries, but can increase the risk of neck injuries, and make yourself and other drivers behave more dangerously around you (because they deem you to be safer). Suffice to say, I feel unprotected cycling without one on busy roads

Edited August 15, 2012 by Zaxian

[RWyvern]

I'd use it as I hate helmets, but I noticed that the helmet comes around and over your head. It isn't held in place by much, and in the event of falling onto your face it's won't help much.

[IsmaielDeath]

Thank you for the link.

I think/hope they will get less pricy as time goes by. I can imagine the tecnical stuff and the gas cartridge are the thinge that set the price at the moment (plus the cost to invent this thing ) and tecnical stuff becomes cheaper with every passing year, no?

[Ashojj]

I just dont bother using one. Aminly I dont know where one is.

[Nine]

Fantastic. Now I have a matching helmet to go with my....

[Rosedamai]

Fantastic. Now I have a matching helmet to go with my....

Hahahahahahahaha.

 

I would find this useful

[Syaoransbear]

Wow that looks incredibly unreliable.

[Kestra15]

I'll keep with a normal helmet thanks.

[kiffren]

I'd want to see all the statistics for that before I even considered wearing one. I also probably would not wear one, I'd stick with my regular helmet. The only time I wear a helmet is when I mountain bike, and I want the hard shell of my helmet to help protect my head. I don't bike on busy streets (if I did, I'd wear a helmet).

 

One of my issues with helmets of any sort is that they really only do any good up to 14mph. I know for a fact that I bike faster than that and definitely ski faster than that. If this new design could do better for higher speeds, than I might consider wearing one.

[Ashes The Second]

Fantastic. Now I have a matching helmet to go with my....

That's awesome. |D. Thanks for that. If it protected the head more and was less expensive, and I knew how to ride a bike, I'd get it.

[Fuzzbucket]

I can't actually ride a bike. But - looks like this works rather like an airbag in a car - can't be all bad... ?

[Kestra15]

...except you're relying on it not only sensing the collision but also deploying in time, uninterrupted.

 

Kiff, I've definitely hit the ice at more than 14mph and my helmet has certainly saved a lot of damage. And my Dad has managed to hit a bus head-first and it was his helmet that saved him.

[SkylerFarrier]

It's slowly loading.

I don't care how my helmet looks (past a certain point, I don't want some majorly ugly one) on me, what I worry about is protection (duh) and how it fits. Most helmets aren't big enough for my head as well as being majorly uncomfortable.

...Finished. AMAZING! It's like a portable airbag! I hope it can be reused, and I'm wondering how it knows to inflate! Maybe a balance sensor...

[Syaoransbear]

I can't actually ride a bike. But - looks like this works rather like an airbag in a car - can't be all bad... ?

One time I got in a front end collision with my car and instead of my airbags deploying my car just said AIRBAG ERROR

Edited August 15, 2012 by Syaoransbear

[SPQR]

in the event of falling onto your face it's won't help much.

Normal one won't either, unless you've got one of those mountain bike-ish ones.

 

It's a cool concept. I'd have to wait for more in-depth testing/stats, though.

[olympe]

When I was a kid, there were no helmets for biking around, at least I never saw one until I hit my teens. By then, I was rather used to ride my bike without a helmet.

 

However, I learned from inline skating that protection is very important and very valuable. (Luckily, I only hit my knees, not my head.)

 

I guess there are some things to be said about helmets - be it when cycling or skating: I once heard from a doctor working in an ER that inline skaters without a helmet are their favorite donors for organs as they're usually quite young, healthy and die from a head injury, leaving (almost) all inner organs intact. The same could be said about cyclists.

 

On another note, wearing a helmet alone won't do you any good if you don't wear it right - and wearing it right includes putting it on so tightly that it almost hurts. (Seriously, all that does is prevent me to brake on my nose in the case of an accident - instead, I'll then brake on my chin. Big difference.)

 

For me, the helmet question is an easy one: I'd use it for riding and cycling through rough country, but not for inline skating. (My balance is quite good, and I never fall on my head. I only used a helmet for skating that one time I tried some ramps and stuff - which was a good decision.) For simple cycling in easy country with only low traffic and on low to medium speeds, I don't feel a helmet is actually needed. And I totally avoid using a bike in areas with high traffic - way too dangerous, with or without a helmet.

 

Now, the invisible helmet - I sure wouldn't want to wear it in summer. *wipes sweat off brow* No thankee. And the price is exorbitant, too. I noticed another big disadvantage: The invisible helmet needs to be turned on and off, and I know I'm forgetful enough to actually forget to turn it on.

[Kestra15]

I once heard from a doctor working in an ER that inline skaters without a helmet are their favorite donors for organs as they're usually quite young, healthy and die from a head injury, leaving (almost) all inner organs intact. The same could be said about cyclists.

Yes, 'Donors' is the common slang term for cyclists etc :~P

[ztothez123]

no helmet

[Luckyclaw]

I never learned how to ride a real bike, and quite frankly I'm not qualified to because every time I ride my /giant, three-wheeled, brakes-so-powerful-they-seem-to-be-taken-off-a-train/ tricycle, like a ritual, I crash the sucker into everything semi-tangible in existence. Then, promptly, I am sent flying. Helmets are too big and bulky but my reflexes tend to make up for it, though I would not mind that helmet in the video. I actually really like how it looks, the only problem is that I don't have that kind of money and have no idea where they would be sold. If I got the chance though I'd get it in a heartbeat.

[Sadako]

It looks neat... but in some places it's actually illegal to bike or especially to ride a motorbike without a helmet, and I would be concerned whether this would meet the legal requirements/whether you could prove to the officer who pulls you over that your nifty paisley scarf is actually a functional helmet. Also, airbags in cars aren't reusable because of the way they're folded and inflated, so I assume this isn't either. That price for one collision's worth of protection is pretty steep. Cool idea, though it might be ahead of its time in an unfortunate way.

Edited August 18, 2012 by Sadako

[amerylis]

hmm not sure about this. Now I know any helmet should be replaced after a serious accident but for the price these are I think it is too expensive

 

The "black box"

 

Inside Hövding there is a black box. The box records 10 seconds of data on the bicyclist's movement patterns during (and just before) a cycling accident. This data is interesting and valuable to us in our ongoing development work. We would be grateful if you could send in your Hövding to us if you are involved in a bicycling accident. We will examine the black box and recycle the product. To say thank you for your help, we'll give you a discount on a new Hövding in return.

 

Implies this is definitely a once only product. I would rather have to brush my hair at my destination and know my brains are protected than cycle around without a helmet on that I know will do its job

[dgsunburst]

that is so cool i would want one its like airbag for your head but there is no way to hurt your face as well as reduced damage to the head

[Lythiaren]

...except you're relying on it not only sensing the collision but also deploying in time, uninterrupted.

 

Kiff, I've definitely hit the ice at more than 14mph and my helmet has certainly saved a lot of damage. And my Dad has managed to hit a bus head-first and it was his helmet that saved him.

Looked into those.

 

Airbag

 

The airbag is shaped like a hood that surrounds your head. It's made in an ultra-strong nylon fabric that won't rip when scraped against asphalt. The way the hood is designed and folded into the collar ensures that it will inflate quickly and safely. It takes about 0.1 seconds to inflate and the airbag will be fully inflated before head impact. Hövding protects nearly all of the head while leaving the field of vision open. The airbag provides soft and effective shock absorption and maintains constant pressure for several seconds, making it able to withstand several impacts to the head in the same accident. After that the airbag slowly starts to deflate.

Sensors

 

The airbag is deployed by sensors – accelerometers and gyros – that pick up a bicyclist's abnormal movements in the event of an accident. The sensors then send a signal to the gas inflator to inflate the airbag.

 

When Hövding is switched on, the sensors are constantly monitoring the wearer's movements. A bicyclist's movement patterns are divided into two different categories:

 

Normal movements: All bicycling in the city and on main roads, as well as all the normal movements you make before, during and after a bicycle ride such as running up and down steps, locking your bicycle, braking suddenly, giving way, pumping the tyres, etc. are defined as normal movements. Normal movements won't cause Hövding to inflate.

 

Abnormal movements: The movement patterns of a bicyclist in an accident are defined as abnormal movements. In an accident, a bicyclist's movements are completely different from those seen in normal bicycling. That's why the airbag is only triggered by accidents*.

 

To be able to distinguish between these two categories of movements, we've spent the past few years gathering data on the movement patterns of a large number of bicyclists in everyday bicycling situations. We've also re-enacted all known types of bicycling accident and recorded the movement patterns of bicyclists in these accidents. We staged fatal bicycling accidents using crash test dummies, while other bicycling accidents were re-enacted by stunt riders, male and female. We put all these movement patterns into our database and have developed a unique, patent pending, mathematical method for distinguishing between normal and abnormal movements. This method combined with the sensors is Hövding's brain.

 

*Hövding will only be deployed if the bicyclist makes an abnormal movement in an accident. This means that Hövding will not protect bicyclists from objects falling directly onto their head from above. However, this type of bicycling accident is extremely rare.

[Source]

 

The signal getting there in time is a non-issue because of the speed of electronic signals, and I imagine after 7 years of researching head trauma and cycling accidents, their data is at least fairly solid. About the only thing it's not rigged to trigger on is if someone dropped something on you while you were biking.

 

And well... lack of protection from that type of injury kind of goes hand in hand with not having a shell on your head. Just make sure you have a lot of vertical clearance and don't go riding under a durian tree, I guess.

Edited August 18, 2012 by Lythiaren

[Kai]

Hate videos like this that are 3 minutes of puerile profile and 30 seconds of actual video. Nice idea though. False positives would be hilarious.