IIT-Roorkee Students Develop Inexpensive Airbag Helmet

Riding a motorcycle, especially on pothole-ridden roads like ours, can be a risky affair. Thankfully, there have been many advancements in the field of rider safety technology in recent years. Now, three students from IIT-Roorkee - Rajvardhan Singh, Sarang Nagwanshi and Mohit Siddha - are set to put India on the map with their latest invention - a helmet that can be worn around your neck and inflates like an airbag in case of an impact.

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The three students first got the idea while working on an inflatable space antenna during their internship at Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Made out of Kevlar, the collar consists of multiple sensors which can detect lean angle, acceleration and the velocity of the bike. By taking into account all this information and also detecting any unusual variations, the kevlar collar surrounding the helmet is capable of inflating in less than 100 milliseconds of the impact and forms a protective cushioning around your head, thereby helping prevent major head trauma. The technology is somewhat similar to the working of airbags found in cars.

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As useful as conventional helmets are, they can only protect you from a skull fracture, while internal bleeding remains a major concern. According to multiple tests conducted by the IIT-Roorkee team, the force of the impact can be reduced up to four times with the inflatable helmet.

While the concept of an inflatable helmet is not new, the ones available in the market are expensive ($300-600 approx) due to the cost of the sensors. To counter this, the IITians say they want to opt for cheap and easily available sensors that can help to keep the cost between Rs 2,000 and Rs 3,000.

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Currently, the helmet is in its prototype stage. The team is also on the lookout for investors and industrial partners to make it commercially viable. It is estimated that road accidents claim 1.2 million lives in India. So, we hope that this helmet can reduce those figures by a significant margin in the years to come.

All images for representational purposes only*