London, Oct 22 (IANS) The ‘Hvvding’ helmet is an airbag ‘collar’ that springs into action in an eye blink — covering the skull and neck of a cyclist in the event of an impact.
Roughly translated in English as the ‘Chieftain’ – the Hvvding was designed over six years by two Swedish industrial design students.
Designer Anna Haupt said the company hoped the airbag would hit the shops across Northern Europe and Britain in spring next year.
It will first cost around 260 pounds but Haupt believes a lot of people have been crying out for an alternative to the helmet, reports the Daily Mail.
The team developed a system using a collar containing a folded airbag which only inflates when sensors inside detect a sudden jolt.
A small helium gas cylinder inflates the collar in just a hundredth of a second and it remains inflated for several seconds after impact.
The device has been ‘tuned’ by recreating hundreds of accidents using crash test dummies and real riders.
‘The airbag is designed as a hood that surrounds and protects the rider’s head,’ she added.
The hood itself is made from a durable nylon fabric that can withstand the scraping against the road.
‘A lot of people don’t like a bicycle helmet because of the way it looks and what it does to your hairstyle once you have taken it off,’ she added.
