Making bicycle helmets cool to wear – Information Centre – Research & Innovation

Specified an option between security and convenience, some individuals are very likely to opt for convenience. The exact is true when it arrives to bicycle helmets, which are inclined to experience also warm following lengthy or intense rides. The shape and non-optimised vents in the helmet as well as the insulated liners frequently end up trapping a lot also a lot warmth.

People commuting to get the job done on a bike, for instance, do not want a sweaty head and tussled hair because of carrying a helmet. Without compromising security, researchers were being challenged to make the helmets a good deal cooler to use. The problem was tackled by the EU-funded SMARTHELMET undertaking which brought jointly investigate and business industry experts to come up with a novel solution.

‘SMARTHELMET undertaking focused on developing helmets with energetic thermal administration, where the ventilation can be managed autonomously depending on a rider’s cooling needs,’ says undertaking coordinator Tiago Sotto Mayor of the University of Porto in Portugal.

By building and making new helmets that are cooler and extra snug, the hope is that a lot of extra will begin carrying them. Extra bikers suggest a extra energetic inhabitants and possibly cleaner air for individuals who opt for no for a longer time to commute by automobile. Moreover, engineering that could preserve life is not only intelligent but is also socially accountable.

‘Moreover, helmets are passive objects with a mounted geometry and shape which simply cannot adapt to riders’ diverse thermal environments and ventilation needs,’ says Sotto Mayor.

Cooler heads prevail

Conventional helmets provide only to guard a person’s head. So creating a person that can also feeling, forecast and adapt its ventilation to the cooling needs of a rider demands a good deal of knowledge.

For SMARTHELMET, this intended to start with bringing jointly a mix of industry experts in biomechanics, electronics, thermo-regulation, engineering, manufacturing and innovation.

SMARTHELMET researchers then integrated electronics into bicycle helmets to allow actual-time sensing of physiological and environmental parameters. These parameters integrated coronary heart level, temperature and relative humidity, which were being utilized to gauge a rider’s warmth output and varying cooling needs.

‘We investigated approaches to adapt the helmet ventilation by means of variations in the characteristics of its vents and connected their operation with the rider’s thermo-regulation needs,’ says Sotto Mayor.

The findings were being then integrated into an impressive helmet concept to optimise ventilation by means of sensing, electronics and intelligent operation. The concept also took in other variables like surrounding environmental circumstances and the cyclist’s amount of physical activity.

Outside of cycling

LAZER, a business that designs and sells bicycle helmets in extra than sixty five international locations spread in excess of five continents, was also included in the undertaking. Sotto Mayor describes the organization as a all-natural companion to change the investigate into impressive intelligent bicycle helmets.

Nonetheless, he also notes that the investigate has a significant opportunity in other sectors as well, which includes products this sort of as motorcycle helmets, industrial protecting headgear and even protecting apparel.

‘The opportunity influence of the get the job done created in the SMARTHELMET undertaking goes outside of the cycling globe,’ he provides, noting that the undertaking has also given younger researchers a excellent possibility for arms-on expertise across diverse sectors.