Science For the Sake of Fashion

Have you ever wanted to be a trendy and eco-conscious cyclist but held back by the fact that it is difficult to look fashionable while wearing a giant Styrofoam helmet? This product was engineered to get around this problem. It is essentially an airbag for your skull. Retailing for ~$600 it looks a lot like the high collar of a trendy rain jacket. It has motion sensors programmed specifically to recognize the event of falling off a bike to trigger the inflation of the airbag-helmet. The inflated helmet is filled with helium and covers your noggin in the way that a BMX helmet would. Assuming it functions properly, it seems like a very good design as it offers more coverage for your head while allowing your well coiffed hair to flow in the wind while you ride your vintage fixie. The only problem I worry about is the possibility that the helmet would inflate at an inappropriate time which could startle the rider into having an accident they wouldn't have had otherwise. The cost is also about six times higher than the conventional variety of helmet. At first I thought the single use aspect was also a detraction but nearly all helmets are designed as single use as well. Overall, I like that technology is creeping into more areas that wouldn't normally be seen as high tech sectors. Below is the promotional video.