Invisible Bike Helmet Protects Head, and Fashion Sense (opens in new tab)

(medgadget.com)

7 pointsschwarz13y ago6 comments

6 comments

Yeah - it's totally awesome a but few things to note to be the devils advocate.

1) It cost around $10 million to get it to this point - that's OK as they have got it working but it's a significant capital spend. 2) It cost $600 USD approx for 1 helmet 3) Once it's deployed, time for another $600 USD - it's a one-use helmet (hey it does save your life)

If they can get the price point down it would be totally awesome and they probably will with time. But until it provides a greater flexion point than the good old $20 bike helmet - it's probably not going to sell to governments etc who would be a huge market for this.

caf13y ago

All bicycle helmets are one-use in that sense - if your helmet is involved in an impact, you're supposed to throw it away.

jere13y ago

True, but hasn't everyone fallen off of a bicycle without hitting their head? In other words, false positives cost $600 a pop. Perhaps that's totally insignificant. This is without a doubt an amazing accomplishment.

owyn13y ago

A fashionable bike helmet isn't really "saving the world" by any stretch of the imagination, but it's a nice video.

Anyway, airbag vests already exist for motorcycles... There are various designs, protecting the body and the neck. I've never owned one, but it looks like they typically operate using a cable which is attached to the motorcycle and a CO2 cartridge. Cost is similar, maybe $500, and they are usually reusable assuming they aren't actually tweaked in the crash.

js213y ago

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4388056

laserDinosaur13y ago

"People wonder how girls could invent anything this technical"

Errr...what? I know it was a girl who said that, but jesus that sounds like a sexist thing to say.

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