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

Presented an possibility in between basic safety and consolation, some consumers are probably to opt for consolation. The similar is true when it arrives to bicycle helmets, which are inclined to truly feel way too warm immediately after long or intensive rides. The condition and non-optimised vents in the helmet as effectively as the insulated liners normally finish up trapping a lot way too a lot heat.

People today commuting to operate on a bicycle, for occasion, do not want a sweaty head and tussled hair for the reason that of putting on a helmet. With no compromising basic safety, scientists ended up challenged to make the helmets a great deal cooler to wear. The dilemma was tackled by the EU-funded SMARTHELMET venture which introduced alongside one another analysis and sector specialists to come up with a novel resolution.

‘SMARTHELMET venture focused on establishing helmets with active thermal management, the place the ventilation can be controlled autonomously relying on a rider’s cooling needs,’ suggests venture coordinator Tiago Sotto Mayor of the University of Porto in Portugal.

By creating and building new helmets that are cooler and more cozy, the hope is that several more will commence putting on them. Far more bikers suggest a more active populace and maybe cleaner air for all those who opt for no for a longer time to commute by vehicle. In addition, engineering that could save lives is not only good but is also socially responsible.

‘Moreover, helmets are passive objects with a fastened geometry and condition which are not able to adapt to riders’ different thermal environments and ventilation needs,’ suggests Sotto Mayor.

Cooler heads prevail

Conventional helmets serve only to guard a person’s head. So generating one that can also perception, forecast and adapt its ventilation to the cooling needs of a rider requires a great deal of know-how.

For SMARTHELMET, this intended first bringing alongside one another a blend of specialists in biomechanics, electronics, thermo-regulation, engineering, production and innovation.

SMARTHELMET scientists then integrated electronics into bicycle helmets to allow genuine-time sensing of physiological and environmental parameters. These parameters bundled heart charge, temperature and relative humidity, which ended up utilised to gauge a rider’s heat output and various cooling needs.

‘We investigated means to adapt the helmet ventilation through alterations in the characteristics of its vents and joined their operation with the rider’s thermo-regulation needs,’ suggests Sotto Mayor.

The conclusions ended up then integrated into an impressive helmet idea to optimise ventilation through sensing, electronics and good operation. The idea also took in other variables like encompassing environmental disorders and the cyclist’s amount of actual physical exercise.

Over and above cycling

LAZER, a organization that layouts and sells bicycle helmets in more than 65 nations unfold around 5 continents, was also concerned in the venture. Sotto Mayor describes the firm as a all-natural partner to change the analysis into impressive good bicycle helmets.

Nevertheless, he also notes that the analysis has a enormous opportunity in other sectors as effectively, including items these kinds of as motorbike helmets, industrial protective headgear and even protective garments.

‘The opportunity impression of the operate formulated in the SMARTHELMET venture goes outside of the cycling globe,’ he adds, noting that the venture has also provided younger scientists a good possibility for hands-on knowledge throughout different sectors.