For the past few years, safety while cycling has been a cause for concern the world over. True that a number of cyclists wear helmets, but the safety level of those helmets is a question that still needs answering. To ensure foolproof safety while cycling, a Swedish company came out with a device called Hövding. Unlike a regular helmet, the device works as an airbag for cyclists and is also popularly known as the invisible cycling helmet.
The airbag is designed like a hood and made in an ultra-strong nylon fabric that won't rip when scraped against the ground. When an individual wears the device, it protects nearly all of the head while leaving the field of vision open.
The inflated airbag covers a much larger area than a traditional cycle helmet and is designed according to current accident statistics. In 2014, 21,287 cyclists in the United Kingdom were injured in reported road accidents, including 3,514 who are killed or seriously injured.
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In case of an accident, the airbag inflates and simultaneously provides extremely soft and gentle shock absorption. The pressure remains constant for several seconds, making it able to withstand multiple head impacts during the same accident. After that the airbag slowly starts to deflate. The gas inflator that inflates the airbag is placed in a holder in the collar on the cyclist's back.
In the case of an accident, there is a black box in the collar that records 10 seconds of data on the cyclist's movement patterns from an accident.
In addition, the device has developed an algorithm to distinguish between accidents and stunts. "Thousands of cycling accidents were re-enacted using stunt riders and crash-test dummies to collect the specific movement patterns of cyclists in accidents. In parallel, an equal amount of normal cycling data has been collected using test cyclists wearing Hövding in everyday cycling. Based on this collected data, we have developed an algorithm that can distinguish normal cycling from accidents. Normal cycling means all the situations and movements that usually happen in a cycling context, bending down to pick up keys, etc. In the highly unusual category of cycling accident where no measurable movement appears within the cyclist, i.e. if an object falls from above straight down on the cyclist's head, Hövding will not react," the website says.
The device is available in three collar sizes: Small, Medium and Large . In terms of operation, it makes no difference whether your Hövding is tight or loose around your neck.
There is an on/off switch on the zip tag that activates Hövding when it's attached to the right-hand side of the collar. Similarly, Hövding is turned off when you unclip the on/off button. When Hövding is switched off, the airbag can't inflate.
Only switch your Hövding on once you are wearing it, immediately before going out on your bike. Your Hövding is designed to protect you while cyclingand it must, therefore, be switched off when you are not cycling. You can move exactly the same way you usually do when you're cycling. The airbag is functional for 10 hours of active cycling and takes three hours to recharge through a USB port.
The Hövding costs 299 Euros and while it isn’t available in India as yet, it could gain popularity for people who have picked up cycling as a hobby.
