Invisible Helmet...

thekickingmule

Found this on Reddit, and have to say, it looks pretty interesting (though possibly a little commuter-ish).
http://vimeo.com/43038579

cooldad

No.

Greer_

Inflatable helmet crossed my mind straight away. And the answer is still no!

Yacoby

For commuting, I (personally) don't think it is worth wearing a helmet on the grand scale of things. It isn't really that dangours, and I could make it safer by not doing quite so many stupid things on my commute.

For mountain biking, I wear a helmet for more than its impact protection (its branches protection and the visor gives more protection for my face). Also, I am not convince it would inflate fast enough for some of the accidents I have had.

Clank

Interestingly, there's no difference between hitting your head on a kerb at 20mph and hitting your head on a rock at 20 mph. Your brain won't care about the difference. Something to consider.

As for the inflatable hat - I'd rather rely on passive protection (wearing a helmet etc), more than active systems (air bags, tensioners etc) and that's whether I'm in the car or on the bike. It's a 300 dollar solution to a 5 cent problem.

grenw

Can't imagine it would work off road anyway. What are the triggers and how different are they from what happens every minute of every trail ride?

thekickingmule

I imagine that it must be activated via a shock, or possibly via an attachment to the bike? I seem to remember a motorbike one being invented, where the whole body suit turns into an air mattress effectively.

I think saying that you don't consider it worth wearing a helmet for a commute yet you do for trail riding is quite retarded really. As Clank says, hit your head at 20mph, similar damage happens, be that a rock or a car bonnet. I find it more dangerous riding on a road than any trail I've ridden!

YeehaaMcgee

GrenW wrote:

Can't imagine it would work off road anyway. What are the triggers and how different are they from what happens every minute of every trail ride?

It should work fine. Watch any helmet-cam footage, and you'll see that the body isolates the head from any trail shocks quite substantially.
They're already got airbag-equipped leathers in MotoGP, this just seems like another application of that technology.
I can certainly see it catching on with casual cyclists or commuters.

oodboo

I mostly use my helmet to deflect low tree branches. This would be useless. I'd have to duck.

FunBus

i just think it's a bit gimmicky.....no way could it offer a better amount of protection than a normal helmet.

The only situation i'd prefer this 'invisible' helmet would be if things went pear shapes on a lake jump!

YeehaaMcgee

FunBus wrote:

i just think it's a bit gimmicky.....no way could it offer a better amount of protection than a normal helmet.

Why not? Air bags are common in cars, and have been shown to work. And now air bags are common in motorcycle race suits.

FunBus

I agree, airbags in cars work. Inflatable body suits will help as well, my only skepticism is how this would work in real life.

Airbags take impact from one direction, from one thing - your head (I know there's side 'curtains' etc, but my point remains - air bags are designed for a specific impact). A cycle helmet can be hit from any angle, by any number of things.

Yes, this idea will be ok for commuting (which it seems to be aimed at) but on the trail, if you hit a rock, or more jagged surface, i'm sure the inflated 'bag' will simply compress more sharply. It's better than no protection, but my point is, it's not as good as a helmet.

Also mentioned above, braches etc quite often come into play on the trail which this helmet wouldnt help with. And, it is triggered by a sudden impact - great if a car hits you, but what about a mid-air parting with your bike, that often happens quite gracefully, so the helmet wouldnt even deploy.......

FunBus

...it would also be interesting to know how hard it inflates - if its anything like an inflatable bed, i'm not sure how much use it would be. I'm sure it wont inflate the same force as a car air bag and...will it be one use like with a car?

FunBus

Answered my own question...

Can you still use your Hövding once the airbag has been triggered?

Hövding can't be worn again once the airbag has been triggered and you need to send it in to Hövding Sverige AB for the following reasons:
- We will make sure Hövding is recycled properly.

So it literally is a one hit wonder - bring on your mates trying to 'set off' your fancy new helmet!

YeehaaMcgee

FunBus wrote:

Yes, this idea will be ok for commuting (which it seems to be aimed at) but on the trail, if you hit a rock, or more jagged surface, i'm sure the inflated 'bag' will simply compress more sharply. It's better than no protection, but my point is, it's not as good as a helmet.

Car air bags take force from one direction because they inflate between you and the thing you would otherwise have hit. There's no reason that an airbag that engulfs your bonce will fail to protect your head from all angles.
As for how it will stand up against trail debris? Well, not only is it aimed at commuters (Helmets are already very widely adopted in MTBing), but have you considered that there's already two air bags on your bike that prevent your rims from impacting the ground, and that they do a pretty good job already?
Then, finally, to cap it all off, what's wrong with it being single use? A helmet is a single use device already.

So, in summary, I don't think you could be any more wrong, or misguided, even if you tried. Although I'm sure you'll try and prove me wrong.

EH_Rob

As has been said before, does seem like a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. Nothing wrong with bike helmets as they are, as long as you find one that fits properly.

Good luck to them though, most commuters are idiots so they'll probably make a fortune. Perhaps once its been used they can refill it with the all the crap that comes out of their mouths to make it multi-use and save on the recycling.

YeehaaMcgee

Some people will refuse to wear a helmet though, that is a "problem", if you will, and this could well be the solution. There's also the potential for more protection than a traditional lid, since it covers more of the head.
I do reckon it's a great idea for commuting or leisure cycling.

thekickingmule

As YeeHaa said, helmets are a one hit wonder. When you crash and hit the helmet, the manufacturers say you should replace it. By the looks of things, the makers of this airbag would have Giro's equivalent of a 'replacement' scheme.

Whether or not you like the fashion idea of it, I recon for a commuter, it's not a bad idea as the way it encompasses the head seems to give much more protection than a helmet would as you bounced off their bonnet. Looking at some of the Cycle Chic that you see around cities, I think it might take off.

Clank

I wonder how it fairs against the accepted helmet standards.

I'd be genuinely interested in not only seeing the data, but also then understanding how relevant the existing tests are to a non-solid 'helmet'.

YeehaaMcgee

My helmet is solid. Always.

cooldad

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

My helmet is smelly. Always.

nicklouse

Good old Swedes.

and it will sell.

oodboo

Coming to an Ikea near you soon.

Sgray

If I was a roadie type rider I would probably get one of these as it would be a lot cooler (temperature wise). But as other people have mentioned I like going helmet first into bushes

YeehaaMcgee

I also use my helmet for caving. I often bang the tip of my helmet on the uppermost limits of some dark narrow damp passages.

Greer_

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

I also use my helmet for caving. I often bang the tip of my helmet on the uppermost limits of some dark narrow damp passages.

And back to the gutter we go!

Gazlar

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

My helmet is solid. Always.

I however am interested in the concept of one that pops up when required for

peat

Yes, well, anyway.....

Interesting concept. I'd like to know more about the mechanism that triggers the inflation. I could see it going off at inappropriate moments (like my helmet does..............wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey!)

FunBus

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

but have you considered that there's already two air bags on your bike that prevent your rims from impacting the ground, and that they do a pretty good job already?

This is true, but those 'airbags' are also inside a rubber carcass....if you rode with JUST inner tubes on your rims, you may of had a point there. They are also constantly inflated, so relate more to a standard helmet with airbags inside instead of pads, more so than this invisible helmet.

Again, I'm not disregarding this idea as a complete waste of time, but I for one am not convinced. And yes, standard helmets are made to take just one impact, but they won't accidentally 'go off' (so depending on the sensitivity of the invisible helmet, this could be a problem).

Has anyone seen any prices yet?

thekickingmule

Accoring to this article (Shamelessly stolen from someone else), they will retail for about $600 (I have no idea who's dollar though). That price will probably come down though.

I think they've tested it quite a lot ($10m of research!) to check it doesn't go off unexecpectedly. When commuting, the head doesn't move that much anyway.

FunBus

That same article shows user feedback as follows:

1.It is definitely not invisible, it looks like a bulky big medical neck support and it weighs 0,7 kg, which is a lot heavier than a bike helmet.
2.It is quite difficult to put on, as you have to pull a small zipper under your chin, and then turn it on by fastening a small button. Both are hard to locate and feel that they are in the right positions since you cannot see them. After two days of frustration it still took me minutes to get the helmet fastened and activated, compared to around 4 secs with my old helmet. There must be ways to do this much easier and faster!
3.It gave me a suffocating feeling, wrapped around my neck, and limiting my ability to turn my head sideways. In this cold winter weather, I did manage to put a thin scarf under it, but then it felt very tight and I was still cold around my throat. I also suspect that it will be way to warm to wear in the summer, when I definitely want my neck to be cooled by the air.
4.Since it is quite heavy and bulky, it is a drag to carry around when not in use. And it costs €400 so I am worried about theft and forgetting it in places I visit. My old bike helmet I simply put inside my bike lock, so I never have to carry it around. Since Hövding has a serial number and can be synced to my computer, I suggest that Hövding looks at the Find my iPhone function or something similar that might deter theft and help me locate it.


So in short, the concept is good, but it needs further development - as with all new ideas i suppose.....and at 400 euros, it will have to come down to increase sales and start to recoup some of the $10 million spent on research!!