Wearing a bicycle helmet helps reduce severe head injuries or even save your life. With more people interested in cycling, a HKUST graduate invented a bicycle helmet with lights which provides greater
Jeff Chen Haoran, who graduated from the dual degree program in Mechanical Engineering and General Business Management at HKUST, developed a smart bicycle helmet with integrated turn signals and automatic brake lights. The helmet was co-designed with a partner he met during an exchange trip to Harvard University two years ago.
The smart bicycle helmet, “Lumos”, is designed to improve the safety and visibility of cyclists riding after dark. “Riding in HK is comparatively safe because there were a lot of well-designed bike trek. It is not the case in America as cyclist often need to mixed with the traffic and the drivers are not used to pay attention to them” Chen said.
Cyclists wearing the “Lumos” can indicate left and right turns with a wireless remote control unit on the handlebars, which are synced with integrated LED lights on the back of the helmet. The illuminative helmet could warn drivers of a cyclist’s presence and help prevent accidents and injuries. Chen hopes the new invention will significantly reduce bicycle-related accidents.
The product drew 1,182 orders, which was worth more than US$140,000 (HK$1 million), on the first day of its launch in July on the global crowdfunding platform Kickstarter.
