I'm currently looking into designing a product or improving an existing one for my final year main project at Salford University.

I currently do a large amount of road and city riding and was thinking about helmet design. I don't feel that my current helmet, a Apecialized Air Force offers as much protection as would be needed if i fell off and hit my head. The Jaw line and in particular the temples are completely unprotected.
A full face helmet would be too much, and i expect maby uncomfortable or reduce the ability to see all around yourself as quickly as is possible with a regular bonce protector.

Is there anything available which hits the middle ground between a full face and a regular helmet? And do you think there could be a market for this type of helmet. My searching so far has yielded no results.

Finally, is there anything, particularly for commuter riders that you feel would be benefit to your riding if it existed or something that does which just needs a little modification?
Could be to do with safety, security, data logging, anything at all.

I'm simply looking for any input or ideas which i could work from and add to my existing research. Anything would be of great help?

Thank you!

Check out the Reevu helmet. It doesn't really have any more protection, but the rear view idea is interesting.

https://www.reevu.com/

Is this what you had in mind?

Are jawbone fractures a regular feature of cycling crashes? Perhaps you should examine some injury stats to find out what the problem is. One point to check is the rotational injury caused by the rear projection of many helmets.

Thanks. Helmet design in this respect looks like a dead end. Giro (Switchblade) and Met (Parachute) do detachable face guards that look the business and get good reviews.

The types of injury thing something i'm looking into.

One idea that has just popped into my head is that of a connected helmet and upper body protection. One that is very loose at all times to allow ease of movement. Has some kind of connection to the bike somewhere that if it is broken the suit will stiffen to protect the vunerable neck area. Similar in a way to the cord that can be attached to yourself when on a running machine that applies an emergency brake if it comes out. Hmm....

They have a similar setup for motorcycles, it's essentially a motorcycle airbag. Rider wears a vest with a ripcord attached to bike. Rider runs into something, flies off bike, rip cord gets ripped, vest inflates, and ideally no more injuries to the torso. I don't think they've reached the market yet, but I imagine they'll be unpopular, for the same reason your proposed device would be. It'd probably end up being a one shot deal, if the cord gets pulled the whole unit has to be reset (or factory serviced), so what happens when you space out and get off the bike without thinking?

Unfortunately current helmet designs are not the safest, a full face helmet with a HANS device would be the best, but nobody is going to use that on a bike. I would think they're reached their current state cause people don't like several pounds of helmet on their head, and more importantly, everyone wants to look cool right?

I'd follow MichaelW's advice, see what the most common injuries are, and make something to prevent it.

think about how much different BMX and skateboarding helmets are than bike helmets. Talk about a market that places a premium on cool -- yet, that's got tons more coverage than a typical bike helmet. ditto with hockey.

Compare these
https://www.fogdog.com/sm-bmx-pro-hel...p-1066858.html

and these

https://www.fogdog.com/family/index.j...711662.1900486


to these

https://www.fogdog.com/family/index.j...=713103.972050

I'd bet you'd find an accepting public if you could get the right styling/graphic design.

might be cool as a project and for riders likely to crash. i'd worry about accidental deployment of a device like this while i was riding. i'm pretty confident i can deal with crashing and hitting the ground as i am now. what i don't want is something that might increase my chances of getting hit by a car or truck. what are the rules/restrictions of this project? sounds fun.

Ever read Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash? Same basic concept as the inflatable vest, except that it was a full-body suit (not bulky or anything, just like a jumper) and it was activated by speed and proximity sensors, etc. He described the result as "Michelin Man." Good stuff. Be very cool if it were real - a "smart" suit would "know" when to inflate or not.

check out this website for a new idea on better protection in design that can be applied to cycle helmets and motorcycle helmets

https://www.phillipshelmets.co.uk/

Great book. I still think of mini vans as 'bimbo boxes'.

How about a solar panel on top that charges a battery for the head and tail lights that are installed in recesses in the front and back. And make it in neon green/yellow for daytime safety, with reflective striping for added nighttime safety.

how bout a water dispersion system in the top of the helmet. You can have channels that lead outward from a hole in the top so on hot days you can take your water bottle and squirt water in the top and have the water evenly distributed across your steamy mellon.

Make some channels to help keep it out of your eyes, and maybe something to let some drip down your back. You could even have some way to block certain passages say if you don't want water down your back or the front ones put water in your eyes.

Bee-proof ventilation holes?

Snow Crash rocketh, verily.

As for protecting faces, well, most face plants won't kill you. At some point, you trade off protection for convenience, and it looks like most cyclists won't ride with a full-face rig.

Ain't that water dispersion thingy a bottle?

Do I think there's a market for a midface helmet? In a word: no.

instead of designing something for on the bike, why not find a way to use bike power for other applications (washing machine, blender, drill press, water pump...)? i think this area hasn't been as worked over as what new gadget can i add to my bike.

I like my giro 9 ski helmet. www.giro.com It has more protection around the temples and in the rear of the head. The back of the helmet comes down around ear level.

I feel much safer wearing my ski helmet than my bike helmet. It covers more and has more padding. A ski helmet is probably not certified for bicycling use, and it would be really warm for most riders since it's meant for colder weather. It is vented and i don't usually have problems with it in "spring" conditions ~45 deg. F.

Maybe there's a way to adapt the better coverage/padding into a more efficient venting design...

bk

There are a couple problems I see with the suit thing.

When I ride, I get out of the saddle a lot, which might trigger this thing. I also like to just jump off my bike when I stop.

When I fall, I'm generally clipped in, so I just hit the ground in my clips, still attached to my bike.

How about a cost/benefit analysis of total yearly $ spent on helmets vs $ saved in Doctor & hospital costs nationwide?

A full skull pad, with vent holes. I hate the little pads of gel that stick inside the helmet. They always break and abrade my forehead.

A pressurised hydration system that mounts in the frame, but allows you to drink whithout taking your hands off the bars. Pressurised either by hand pump, or by lung power.

I second the solar panel idea. Just a small solar panel that charges your lighting during the day, so that the lights are ready to go when it's dark. Obviously, this wouldn't work too well if you park our bike indoors during the day.

How about a cost/benefit analysis of total head injuries to all people who could have prevented them by wearing helmets? Old people in particular.

Falls were responsible for 80% of head injury hospitalizations in people aged 65 and older in Ontario in 1998/99. This compares to only 17% of head injury admissions in people between the ages of 15 and 34. The leading cause of head injuries for this age group was motor vehicle collisions.

"We often associate head injuries with a younger male population, who are considered to be risk-takers, but the statistics from CIHI’s report and our experience indicate that head injuries are also important among seniors and women," explains Dr. Robert Summerfield, a neurologist with North York General Hospital. "We need to raise awareness that some head injuries can have long-lasting and disabling impacts."

or maybe, cyclists are more important and we should do our best to protect them instead of old, auntie Ruth. (she's had her day)

A standard CamelBak should be able to do this. Is there a reverse flow prevention valve? Otherwise simply blow air down the tube. It will bubble up through the fluid and inflate the bag above it, providing a pressurized fluid chamber and squirting the contents of the bag out the sip tube.

I don't have one though, so maybe there's something I'm missing.

One product I would like to see developed more is the bicycle horn. Most commuters I see use those compact bells, because they are light, cheap and fairly elegant. Unfortunately, they are nearly useless for alerting drivers. I know there are air horns available, but I find them bulky and clumsy to use, plus you only get a few blasts before they need to be pumped up again. I'd love to see a reasonably loud electric horn with a well designed bar mount. I suspect a standard 9V battery would be sufficient as a power supply.