A while ago I posted about a airbag helmet design,, called the Hovding. I guess I thought that this would pretty much be a concept that would never see the light of day. I am surprised though that the designers / inventors have capitalized the project, and got it to market. Looking at their website, hovding, one can purchase the airbag helmet for 600 US dollars.
I love the concept, but I wonder about the practicality. People who are adverse to wearing helmets will probably be adverse to wearing a big collar around their neck. I also think that most people who don't currently wear helmets would not be drawn to this product, as they probably think the roads are safe enough. Some people who wear helmets will be drawn to the product, but 600 Dollars is a big ask. In a country like Australia, you probably still wouldn't be able to use the Hovding, because of the mandatory helmet laws.
From a safety point of view. I like the way the helmet does protect a larger proportion of the head than than a traditional cycling helmet. I am not sure how the airbag helmet would deal with a secondary impact, for example, say you fall of your bike and your head hits the ground, then a cyclist from behind crashes into you and their bike impacts your head.
Anyway , its great seeing this product for sale, and I am sure there are a lot of applications for this technology. I can see a version being created to be used in conjunction with a normal style of helmet to act as a neck brace.
I don't want anyone to have an accident, but I cant wait to hear reports of how well the Hovding performs in some real word accidents.
No comments:
Post a Comment