• 22
  • October
    2010

There are a lot of ways that people try to protect themselves against injury. Some always look before they cross a street while others pay extra for safety features in their family car. Then there are those who are continuously creating new products to make life a little safer for everyone.

Many accidents happen on the road: car accidents, truck accidents, even pedestrian accidents. In a world where gas prices are rising, more and more people are choosing to ride their bikes for transportation. Traditionally, bikers wear bulky, hard helmets that protect their head in case they are thrown from their bike. But in Sweden, two students at a local university have created a new product that could take the place of bike helmets.

Similar to car airbags, they have designed an airbag for a person's head. It sits around the neck and can sense when the wearer is in danger. If the product senses danger, it will release the airbag around the wearer's head, protecting from any serious head injury.

It sounds intriguing, doesn't it? Although many states require bikers to wear helmets, some choose not to for various personal reasons. The hope is that this product would encourage those who do not like the look or feel of wearing a helmet to still ride their bike safely. The helmet airbag is designed to deploy in other situations when a biker may be in danger, not just if hit by a car.

While the development of new technology is often beneficial to the public, there is always one major concern. What happens if some of the airbag helmets are defective? There is always the danger of the material getting a hole in it or tearing before or during deployment. If it is defective, the wearer could be severely injured or even killed in an accident.

Defective products are not always dangerous. But when they are, people injured by the product are often faced with a long road to recovery. Time will only tell if technology like the airbag helmet will be useful and safe.

Source: Time.com, "We Live in the Future: Introducing Invisible Bike Helmet," Tara Kelly, 22 October 2010