Are you a cycler who hates having a helmet haystack on your head? We’d all like to look like Katharine Ross and Paul Newman, cycling through a green, leafy farmyard without a care in the world, but unfortunately in a urban environment, concrete and bare-heads don’t really gel, not to mention those other lovely cars and buses.
But now after seven years of development, two women from Sweden have found the perfect solution, which is being coined ‘the invisible helmet’ (invisible, because it’s not really a helmet at all).
The Hövding is airbag meets neck-brace. It clips around the neck and once switched on, it is ready to go. The clever sensors in the Hövding know the difference between normal cycling movements, like turning or bending over to pick up keys, and movements which may cause an accident, like falling from a mounted potion. When it senses the latter, the hood inside the collar inflates, covering more of your head than a standard helmet would be able to. The ultra-strong nylon fabric means that it won’t rip when scraped against the ground, and through the shock absorption technology, pressure remains constant for several seconds so that the hood can cope with multiple impacts. After those seconds, it will automatically deflate.
You can buy yourself a Hövding in a variety of different patterns for €399, which my Google Search app tells me is £333.88. Find out more about the Hövding and its incredible technology on their website.
Lydia Jones blogs at abitofwhatifancy.blogspot.co.uk
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