POC and Autoliv, Swedish companies, are joining forces to develop a bicycle helmet with an airbag. This prototype would help reduce post-impact injuries by 80%.
The safety of cyclists is a crucial subject with the development of the use of bicycles in urban areas. In France, for example, the mortality of cyclists has increased by almost 30% in three years, according to road safety figures. This is why the Swedish POC, a bicycle supplier, and Autoliv, an airbag producer, joined forces to design the first helmet with an integrated airbag.
The democratization of the electric bicycle, and therefore the increase in the average speed of cyclists, prompted Autoliv and POC to develop this prototype. According to the tests already carried out, this helmet would drastically reduce the injuries sustained after an impact at more than 20 km/h. The risk of so-called moderate injuries, such as a mild concussion, would drop by 80% with an airbag, while fatal injuries would decrease by 30%.
In a press release, Autoliv states that “When deployed, the airbag acts as an initial energy absorber, while the underlying helmet can still contribute in the usual way. The combination of the two absorption technologies allows for an acceleration reduction of head and a significant reduction in the risk of head injury during impact testing.”
Technical design
The prototype is equipped with a three-part airbag. On impact, two airbags open on either side of the head, while a third deploys in the back, just above the back of the neck.
However, the manufacturers point out that any improvement in protection lies in the quality of the helmet itself, and not in the technology of the airbags. The airbag is only there to absorb the first shock during the fall.
The product is still only at the prototype stage but the first conclusive tests encourage the researchers to continue on this path. The objective now is to optimize and maximize the areas of the head protected by the airbag, as well as to provide maximum protection from all angles of fall.