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As a motorbike rider...
... I fully agree that this is the best instance of truly useful wearable technology since the wristwatch.
Five Intel interns from Oregon State University have devised an Atom-powered bike helmet that calls home if the rider crashes. The smart helmet protects the bike rider, plays music and receives calls from a smartphone if there is a crash. A silent, unresponsive cyclist? An emergency number gets automatically called to get help …
So you're saying that a helmet display is more dangerous than taking one's eyes off the road to glance at the gauges on the bike? And it's not like it's new tech since helmet displays have been developed for military aviation as well. It's just a matter of developing a way to unobtrusively display useful information like speed, revs, and fuel.
Also long term rider and (semi-former*) advanced safety instructor.
HUD could be good, but I think I'd prefer to have my viewing space un-cluttered. Maybe something I can activate eg with a button near my left thumb.
For shorter trips no music. But for longer trips, music can help maintain focus - for some anyway. For me, it stops me remembering past conversations. As a CPTSD sufferer if something triggers certain memories it could prove fatal. Like all things riding, it's a risk that I've learned to manage.
Also, at least with my helmet and bikes, at highway speeds I cannot hear much (you do use earplugs to protect your hearing I hope?) so with music on I do not lose anything. If I'm riding right, I'm aware of the vehicles and other things around me with a 12sec scan pattern.
( * NZ government do nothing to encourage rider training, or to even mention it exists. As such, few organizations survive and those that do are struggling to attract students. I'd train for fuel costs if the schools I know could get more than two or three students for a weekend session - but even at barely-break-even prices many riders consider it too expensive)
@G R Goslin - I was referring specifically to the impact detection and emergency call-out, not to the additional gadgetry. However, to be more specific, I think HUD is helpful as instead of shifting gaze down to instruments and shortening focus, then head up again and change focus again towards road, a rider can see instrument readouts without changing gaze or focus. Of course HUD should show readout for instruments - speed, revs, fuel, gear + temperature/oil warning lights. NOT sms messages.
Music can be distracting or not... but certainly audio isn't in itself covering any other noises such as approaching cars. Typically engine + wind noise is anyway drowning out these other noises anyway
As someone who always wears a helmet on my bicycle but hasn't had a crash in 30 years - this seems like overkill. I do like the built in music speakers though. That would be much better than the music I get from the Android mounted on my bike handlebars. But would I pay $300 dollars or whatever obscene amount of money this is going to cost? No way in hell.
@Caff - one would hope they'd have included a sensor inside to confirm it's actually being worn before triggering any response. But as also noted above, given they've seen fit to include the huge safety issue and distraction of streaming music and calls it certainly doesn't go without saying that they did...
"Why do you think it should be different on a bike?"
Because a car balances itself, doesn't stray based on weight distribution, which changes when you're moving your body position to fiddle with devices, which usually aren't designed to be used through gloves meaning extra fiddling to find buttons etc.
You're also very unlikely to die from crashing into something at 20mph in a car, but could easily die crashing into something at 20mph on a bike (motor or pedal). Also audio on a bike is delivered through earphones, not speakers a foot away, meaning it blocks out background noise which is essential to your awareness.
"crash-notification tech doesn't have to be wearable. If it was any use it would already be fitted to cars"
Quite a few manufacturers already have this as part of the on-board services; linked to the air-bag deployment.
I think the idea of smart helmets is a good one though; a helmet offers enough space to mount the sensors and the "smartness". The fire-fighter helmet is the most obvious application, but probably using something like Wi-Fi to link back to a fire truck or mobile control centre or Thunderbird 1.
"The European Union wants a system that automatically calls for help in the event of a crash to be fitted to all new vehicles by 2015." It says here:
http://www.economist.com/news/technology-quarterly/21615060-way-cars-are-made-bought-and-driven-changing-mobile-communications
"For divers, there are already dive computers to control depth, air pressure and ascent rates, normally worn on the wrist."
And they already make a helmet-mounted display for divers so the diver doesn't have to look down to be kept informed. In fact, they already make an HMD for firefighters, too (the C-Thru).
As with bikinis the less you get the more you pay.
From the photograph it all looks pretty solid (unlike motorcycle crash helmets, they don't protect your head from anything really serious) which would make it fairly uncomfortable for anyone travelling so far or so fast as to actually benefit from wearing it.
Solve that and it looks interesting.
...and yet they still include the music and calls stuff, thus ruining it? I know for a certain category it would be a key selling point, but from experience both as a cyclist and a pedestrian, a major reason for collisions between the two (or with cars) is usually one or other (or occasionally both) being so engrossed or deafened by the call/music respectively that they're not aware of the surroundings that they are navigating through.
The number of times I've been cycling along and had some schoolzombie being led by the nose by their phone step out in front of me is depressingly large (and I've witnessed it happening at least 3 times with them stepping off a kerb into the road without realising they were doing so, once almost ending up in an RTA with a car).
I would also wonder about whether it would have been better to include some kind of head/neck airbag system, probably coupled with a sensor to confirm that the thing is actually being worn in case of sudden acceleration, to differentiate between a collision and it just getting dropped.
Ok, ill bite.
Assuming that the music isn't of a level that you cant hear anything but the music, can you explain how 'music stuff' ruins it?
I ride my bike pretty often. In fact, I commute on it every day almost. More often than not I am wearing headphones.
The two times I have been knocked off my bike I wasn't wearing headphones. In both of these events I didn't notice a definitive 'I AM ABOUT TO HIT YOU' tone to the engine noise as opposed to every other vehicle that passes me by without incident every day.
If a car is going to hit you from behind, hearing it in super high fidelity without any background music will not help.
I wouldn't make that assumption - in some of the cases I mentioned I've been able to clearly hear the music as a 3rd party, so quite how loud it is in their ears I don't know.
From my daily ride to/from work I have differing experience to you obviously, where in lieu of rear-view mirrors or eyes in the back of my head being able to hear traffic around you is a good back-up for being able to see them without having to twist your head around so much you end up falling off or veering into traffic yourself.
I'm not thinking here of a car behind that will hit you anyway regardless, I'm thinking more of the scenario of cyclists turning across or veering in front of cars that they haven't seen or heard. For that kind of spacial awareness hearing is rather useful. Similar thing applies on the cycle-paths with earphone wearers (on and off bikes) who are so engrossed in the ride and the music that they don't think anyone else may also be using the paths.
Maybe it's just a local thing about the pedestrians and cyclists around here though. But I wouldn't trade my normal cycle helmet for one of these things.
Again, I have to respectfully disagree.
relying on hearing in lieu of twisting your head around is bordering on gross stupidity. There's a reason they call it the 'lifesaver'.
If I make a move across a lane of traffic (small adjustments for road quality shouldn't count as, by rights, you really should be in the 'primary position' when riding), I value my life more than to ever rely on my hearing to inform me of any impending doom. Firstly, what if its a hybrid running on battery? (oh, the irony!) or another cyclist you are about to cut up?
Every turn, lane change, start, stop should be reinforced with a gander, and, where possible, eye contact with the following/relevant driver to assert your intention to do 'something'
Ill take your point on the cycle lanes though and, tellingly, probably wouldn't wear earphones on a cycle lane for just that reason. :)
Hearing is most useful when passing parked cars and blinded junctions joining from the left as the sound of an engine acts as an alert for something about to pull out. In mainstream traffic where cycling with the stream with one vehicle behind you it allows you to judge the proximity and attitude of the driver behind including if the engine note changes as they plan to overtake. You still look, but sound acts as an early warning.
It should be noted that some municipalities prohibit the use of earphones while on bicycles, on the understanding that auditory awareness is considered too important to compromise. As some have said, some people can't turn their heads that much without twisting their torso, which in turn means they unintentionally turn the handlebar. Meaning trying to look back can actually be dangerous. As for "hybrid cars", they're big enough that you can still hear the wind as they pass and the friction of the tires on the road, not to mention the whirring of the electric motor. I hear the same phenomenon in electric golf carts. They're not completely whisper-quiet ninja autos. Put it this way, you need as many senses as you can employ to be at your safest on a bike. You can't rely solely on sight (blind spots) or sound (drowning out).
As some have said, some people can't turn their heads that much without twisting their torso, which in turn means they unintentionally turn the handlebar.
Then they shouldn't be on a bike on the road.
I might be getting a bit long in the tooth, but when I took the old UK Cycling Proficiency Test one of the exercises you have to pass is being able to look back over your shoulder without altering the direction of the bicycle.
In much the same way that way too many drivers rely solely on a mirror check, riding in London, and latterly Brisbane, too many cyclists don't do rearward checks correctly, indicate or generally show any kind of road awareness or understanding/reading of what the traffic immediately in front and behind them are about to do (e.g. a car turning left without indicating will still have to break and as the turn starts the body will visibly shift, both are advance cues but some riders don't seem to know how to read them and have to brake sharply to avoid being knocked off).
being able to see them without having to twist your head around so much you end up falling off or veering into traffic yourself.
I have to say that, if you can't control your bike enough to maintain direction should you need to turn your head, maybe you need another mode of transport? (Preferably one that DOESN'T use roads/tracks that other people might?)
Also, as Sarkster said, NOT turning your head to check what is behind you when you change lane/position etc is stupid and negligent. It's not just your life you're risking by relying only on your ears where you should be using your eyes.
Similar thing applies on the cycle-paths with earphone wearers (on and off bikes) who are so engrossed in the ride and the music that they don't think anyone else may also be using the paths.
I guess you really don't ride very often, maybe never? If you did, experience would've taught you by now to give you sufficient space around your intended victims other road/path users to avoid a collision.
"Assuming that the music isn't of a level that you cant hear anything but the music, can you explain how 'music stuff' ruins it?"
If it is loud enough to be heard, then it will be masking other sound, cars coming up behind etc. "Ye cannae change the laws of Physics, Captain"
Anyone cycling whilst listening to music needs their head examined and probably will, by a pathologist after they crash. I cycle to work most days, with a helmet and no music!
In the UK radio is not often used for other than gossip between flyers (many of the radios are illegally used and discipline is poor; the number who have the training and certification to use an air-band radio and can thus talk to ATC are vanishingly small).
I'm up there for peace and quiet; for the same reason I don't fly with a lawn-mower engine strapped to my back.
Others no doubt have different views.
BRILLIANT idea. Seriously who'd have thought it - a wearable dive computer capable of recording dive parameters. I definitely go out and buy one...No! Wait! I already did 12 years and they weren't even new then!
Great idea, hats off to the interns.
Authors please research your own ideas a little better though :)
J
All this assumes that the electronics will still be working after a bike crash severe enough for someone to lose consciousness, even while wearing a helmet. In such a scenario it's unlikely that the helmet would even remain in one piece. More likely you'd end up with is an unconscious cyclist that has a split Li-Ion battery slowing burning a hole through his skull!
As an avid cyclist, I think they should add front&rear cameras with a 30 second video buffer so the person who hit you with their car can be prosecuted for your death. This would be enough alone for me to buy the helmet. I've noticed an increasing number of front&rear GoPro cameras mounted on bikes lately.. expensive.
Cycle helmets offer sacrificial protection. Any significant impact and they break or at the least are not suitable for further use. If the electronics is integrated with the helmet and not in a removable module then it would be trashed with the helmet after an accident, which seems costly and wasteful.
Then recycling needs to be encouraged. Once it breaks (the internal electronics can be cushioned to reduce the chance of these breaking), they should be encouraged to call in and order a replacement for a reduced price. Maybe it can be done like some warranty jobs where the replacement comes in and you send the busted one back in the same box.
I'm depressed by all the comments on this project so far. It sounds like a Monday morning product introduction meeting straight out of The Office:
- "it's crap, it'll never work cos of X and Y"
- "it's crap, because my favorite feature Z isn't already there"
- "it's crap, because it has spangles, and I don't like spangles"
No wonder millennials can't wait to not get a job.
Gentlemen, you are to be congratulated on your achievement. Well done. I look forward to seeing how this develops. And remember, you can't please everyone, so build the best you can to please yourself.
I prefer the theory behind that cardboard helmet - on a crash it's just crushed, but in doing so absorbs the impact energy and spreads impact shock over the crumpletime, leaving your brain with extended lower g-forces instead of concentrated high g-forces.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-25681895
If the cyclist were to wear a welding helmet with flip-up shield, a bit of jiggery-pokery with an old air force surplus TFR, a couple of springs and a relay would see a primitive version of Beeblebrox's Peril Sensitive Shades at their disposal. About to hit (or be hit by) something big, fast and hard? Down slams the opaque visor and you can crash in peace without all the screaming one usually deploys in such situations.
As stated above (by Dave 13), having video of the impact would be VERY helpful since too many scum/ perps simply drive away and cyclists don't always have the wherewithal (or ability) to note the license plate number as they greet the concrete. I'd also suggest considering an option for continuous (or "slap on/ slap off") video during a ride: there are MANY incidents wherein drivers will cut across the bike lane in front of cyclists (or do other stupid stuff) that causes the cyclist to swerve (and curse and use sign language) but does not cause an impact. While likely not prosecutable, such evidence would be useful in suggesting where police could be more effectively deployed (if it can be demonstrated that a large number of such incidents happen at such-and-such location), whether any signage or street striping would help reduce these incidents, et cetera. Yes, this is likely beyond the scope of what these brilliant interns have devised (thumbs way up, guys!), but might be a "next phase" option.
> As stated above (by Dave 13), having video of the impact would be VERY helpful
It would be, but not for the reasons you state (which sound a lot like revengefulness). Just think of the glory, fame, and YouTube ad money you could rake in if you had video of your best¹ crashes. :)
¹ For a commercial, not traumatological, definition of "best".
*snrk* Nah, I'll leave the stunt- cycling crashes to those with gold-plated insurance policies. ;)
In my area, an incident doesn't happen unless a cop sees it (or if there is too much resulting damage to ignore) and video footage of yet another near-miss might convince TPTB that the dodgy intersection of Zig and Zag needs more patrolling (or better signage or something). Such is the hope, anyway.
I'd rather have a sensor I could attach to the rear of my bike that could determine when an approaching car was on a possible collision course and alert me than something that notifies emergency services after it is already too late.
My big fear is that someday a driver who is busy texting will not have seen me off in the distance and know he was approaching me, and when he crests the hill I just crested he won't see me and will plow right into me from behind. If I had some sort of alert and could move over to the very edge of the road or take a quick look back and decide it is time to see how driving off the road into the ditch feels I'd be much better off than having a helmet that gets the ambulance there to scrape up my broken body a minute earlier than otherwise.
I fell off a bicycle MacMillan was in charge telling us we never had it so good, I wasn't wearing a helmet then and still don't on a bicycle, but if I was planning to leap off a bike and land on my head I would say this is not a bad idea.
Just scrap the music and chat while you piss off car drivers functions and it should be good to go, I see too many people walking, running,cycling,skateboarding with phones who are oblivious to the world, the same goes for many car drivers who drive with the audio cranked up to the point of sensory overload.
I know Fire fighters have helmets fitted for radio but impact sensors make some sense as would other items for human telemetry, my local cycle shop owner has a heartrate monitor built into his helmet.
- That microphone looks waay too far away to be useful if you're riding at any speed (it'll pick up too much wind noise)
- LED headlamp, good, but you can buy one that sticks on with velcro and will easily outperform the one they show there.
- Above-ear speakers: a plus is that they won't stop you hearing what's going on around you, how effective they'll be in traffic or at speed is another matter.
It has not escaped my observation that where I live, helmets that cover the ear (but still provide vent slots) are starting to become more popular, and I myself still prefer my motorcycle helmet even if it is a bit heavier.
I feel safer with something a little more rugged on my head. The option of brims that provide decent shade or visors for shielding against rain is something I've never seen on any bicycle helmet, and the fact it covers the ears means I can hear noises over the top of the wind noise that'd otherwise be whistling in my ear canals. It also makes embedding a headset easier.
My biggest concern though, helmets are effectively a consumable item, replaced every 5-10 years. Over time the memory foam becomes brittle and the helmet less effective. How easily is this electronic goodness transferred from one helmet to the other?
With mine: the visors are just a standard 3-stud attachment. The headset speakers attach with velcro. The headset microphone is simply wedged into one side. The headlight is simply held on by 8 velcro dots. Helmet need replacing? No problem, walk into any motorcycle shop, hand over $50, transfer the bits over, dump old helmet in nearest bin.
This looks like it's one very expensive monolithic lump. I'd personally like to see bicycle helmets become more modular, perhaps with studs/velcro patches to allow these items to be attached/detached by the end user at will. The studs of course for exterior accessories like lights, headsets, visors, cameras, rear vision mirrors, etc, and velcro patches for interior sensors.
Then a project like this, which has some good ideas, becomes feasible, as it's just bolt-on accessories onto an existing helmet that is bought cheaply and easily replaced.
If my missus is named Jess, and in a post-crash stupor I call her name, the machine may be asking "Are you alright?" and make a slight mistake with what it thinks is my answer.
The idea I like. Maybe some things need a little re-working, but over all the idea is good. I've known a couple of cases where someone's outcome would've been a hell of a lot better had there been something that called out as soon as they crashed. And I'd prefer an accidental false call a few times when there's the chance that by the time I know I'm hurt, the ambulance is already coming.
(Actually, I wonder if they thought of the helmet being placed in a locker or something in range of the phone, and falling off a shelf/hook triggering a call... definitely needs some sort of "I am now or just was on a head" sensor (clip being closed may not be enough as some people ride with the straps undone)