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news
A folding cycle helmet for less than a fiver? What do you make of this year’s James Dyson Award winner? (+ video)
A folding cycle helmet is the international winner of this year’s James Dyson Award. Designed by Isis Shiffer from New York, the EcoHelmet is envisaged as an affordable, recyclable solution for those making use of bike share schemes.
“It just occurred to me that there was an infrastructure gap here,” Shiffer told The Guardian. “We have these fantastic schemes all around the world and if you want to wear a helmet you either have to bring your own or spend quite a bit of money.”
Her solution, made of card arranged in a honeycomb structure, has earned her a $45,000 prize to take the product towards production. She has now teamed up with an LA-based company to do this and the material costs are so low that she hopes to sell it for under $5.
“It is one size fits most,” she said. “These [helmets] are quite sturdy and the honeycomb stalls are arranged in such a way that they can protect the head from a blow from any direction.”
Shiffer developed the design while studying at the Pratt Design Institute in New York. When she subsequently attended the Royal College of Art and Imperial College in London, she began testing.
“I hadn’t done any tests, so I just brought them an armload of samples in different thicknesses and cell-sizes and materials and dropped stuff on them all day. And I was able to get enough data from that to say, okay, this is a sound idea. I can take it further.”
Shiffer envisages covering the helmet in some sort of waterproofing material – perhaps wax – with the addition of a wear indicator to show when it needs replacing.
As well as the cost, the helmet also seems to reduce in size far more effectively than other folding helmets. We’ve previously reported on the Carrera, the Pango and the Headkayse, all of which are still fairly sizeable when folded down – albeit the Headkayse does flatten to just 5cm wide.
“From here on, it’s all about manufacturing and testing,” said Shiffer, pointing out that although she has run tests herself, the helmet now needs to be certified.
Some people have certainly been inspired.
Dyson is going to love my new bike lock. pic.twitter.com/gY0Nda199r
— Bikebot (@bicyclebot) November 17, 2016
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.
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27 comments
Apparently the Met Police are also in negotiations for a new riot helmet with the same designer...
ScreenHunter_14 Nov. 18 22.27.gif
Paper is a complex material. That thing will either offer no protection due to the material being so stiff that transfers all force, or simply collapse. The sweet spot where it dirtiness forces and then collapses will be so small that this thing will never get European certification. They won't be allowed to sell it as a safety device and it'll merely be decorative.
I would like it a lot more if Dyson wasnt verging on being a bit of a prat.
I think it is great, really! People having no idea of science nor structural engineering think they can piss on someone's invention. It is truly sad.
If you should by any chance be referring to me, I have a BSc (Hons) an MSc and I worked for twenty years as an engineer.
It is truly sad that some people don't read anything about a subject before diving in with both feet with a "cure" for a problem that doesn't exist. Cycling is as dangerous per mile travelled as walking, but Miss Shiffer, well intentioned as she may be, doesn't even understand the most basic facts about cycling but still stumbles in with her solution which treats the symptoms not the cause, which has already been proven not to work.
It certainly is sad that someone so obviously talented has wasted their intelligence and efforts, and that a well meaning industrialist, similarly misinformed, wastes his money on it when it could have been used beneficially.
Well you say Dyson is no idiot but he was on the side of Brexit.
Because the EU rules made it hard for him to recruit non EU engineers.
In the light of recent discussion/request for a reduction of swearing here I find myself deprived of the appropriate response.
I hope Shiffer will now address the "infrastructure gap" by providing vending machines stuffed with disposable divining rods to help "millenials" and "professionals" find their way about on "city bikes".
I also expect to see other safety essentials sold at these "retail points": Royal Jelly; homeopathic performance water (a couple of drops of Lance Armstrong's piss in a few gallons of water will probably have a measurable effect); laser bikelane bike lights; high-vis killer klown cycling outfits.
I know what you mean, and don't even get me started on those companies that design body armour for the police instead of addressing the actual issue and just stop people being aggressive and violent.......
What? Are you telling me that some unscrupulous, post-rational nitwit is selling the police something that they call body armour which does not actually stop stabbing weapons? The swine! Can you credit people believing something works just because it is claimed that it works?
Travelling by a simple mode of transport is now analogous to becoming a police officer? So mass active-travel is about as likely as everyone, including young children, becoming cops?
If people were regularly shooting police officers the authorities wouldn't ban guns, but instead cops would just be advised to wear bullet-proof vests? That don't even work?
And cyclists now have all the legal powers that the police do, to deal with the threats that the protective clothing is made necessary by? And we get a salary?
Or are you employing a seriously poor analogy that falls on its bottom at the slightest scrutiny?
PS I like lasers on bikes. Be better if they could be used to guide anti-tank rockets for rapid close-pass-payback, but even on their own I think they're kind of pretty. Don't do a lot for safety, granted.
In the harsh light of night I see your point. But why bother with a missile? Something of sufficient power to blind a culprit would do the trick.
You mean like university designers having the powers and influence to approve and fund infrastructure reforms to better suit cyclists but instead waste time on safety equipment?
Yes, it was a very obvious and light hearted rebuke at a poorly aimed criticism
James Dyson is no idiot, he's not going to put his name to some hopeless design. I don't know if he still rides but he used to be very keen on his Cannondales.
I know he's not an idiot, but he is apparently totally ignorant about cycle helmets. I would have thought that anyone thinking of giving someone £30k for a product might have done the tiniest bit of research about that product first. We can all be idiots sometimes.
OMG, yet another folding helmet sensation, along with all the other dozen or so which will revolutionise cycling. Yawn.
Such a pity that neither Miss Shiffer or Mr Dyson had bothered to do any research about cycle helmets before she wasted her time and he wasted his money: they don't reduce risk to cyclists. The biggest ever study found that they increased risk. cyclehelmets.org
I find it a bit worrying that this is being described as a bike helmet, there is zero chance this would pass any of the European or SNELL requirements. It's just a collapsible hat
The great thing is, when it starts to get a bit tatty, you can pop it into a filter coffee machine and make a nice cup of joe. A bit dandruffy, but still better than Nescafe.
If it really is as effective as a polystyrene helmet, then why buy the latter?
If it isn't, why bother with the former?
Unfortunately logic isn't going to be key here - people will want or be obliged to have a helmet on, this is a helmet, and whether it works or not is irrelevant.
I think it said that the effectiveness of the paper honeycomb design degrades over time so it is a disposable/recylable product. Polystyrene helmets are made to last so are not a disposable product.
Not if you believe the manufacurers. For example this is from Bell's Helmet FAQ page:
Bell has a general recommendation of replacing your helmet every three (3) years.
And this is from the Kask 'Use and Care' booklet:
in any case, we advise replacing it after approximately 5 years, because over time its capacity for protection decreases due to the aging of the materials.
True but I got the impression that this helmet lasts far less than 1 year, though that is just an impression.
"The helmet is designed for a limited number of uses and will deteriorate and weaken overtime, especially if carried around at the bottom of a bag. The final design is likely to have a visible stripe that will wear off when it is time to throw it away or a clip that ceases to work after a certain amount of time."
It needs to be tested to determine how effective it is at reducing victim-blaming after you are run over by a truck, and at fending off 'why aren't you wearing a helmet?' nagging from strangers or family.
Anything cheap and convenient that is effective for those two things is actually worth considering (as those two issues are, in reality, the primary reasons for wearing a helmet).
It's an interesting concept but as mentioned above the design and meterial of the front area will need to be carefully assessed as the behaviour and distribution of the material is not consistent.
This could be sorted if the paper/card at the front was thinner or if there was a more complicated wrap around design.
I wonder how much these would sell for? They'd be considered disposible and hence would have to be cheap but all the design and testing for a safety critical device is very expensive.
Glue two of them together to make a paper globe and save on your xmas decorations
paper globe.jpg
Its lucky that whether a helmet actually looks anygood is no kind of an issue for cyclists!
Hmmm, interesting idea, but the coverage doesn't seem great and I think it's more a matter of "one size fits some" rather than "all". I also wonder whether the construction at the front could conentrate forces upon a forehead impact as much as it dissipates them.
Can't believe I missed this gem earlier:
Shiffer developed the design while studying at the Pratt Design Institute