Safety & Style: The Invisible Helmet

Riding a bike is a wonderful alternative to driving a car for so many reasons. 

It's resourceful, cheaper, encourages physical health and longevity, easily transportable, and zero emissions mean kinder to the environment. It's also something fun to do with friends. However, there always comes the annoyance of a helmet. You know, the bulky bit that goes on your head, making riding feel like a chore. Some people don't hate helmets as much as I do, and they can stick with what they've got, but for needy me, there is a new product on the market from Sweden. Anything hailing from the Nords will intrigue me. This though? It's not only intriguing, but it's inspiring me to save up on my paychecks. It's name?

Hövding. 

The word that translates from Swedish to English into "Chiefs" seems to suggest a masculine and sporty design. Not so. This helmet, developed over the course of 7 years by Anna Hauptmann and Terese Alstin, is as sleek as it is safe. The collar is the visible part, worn around ones neck while cycling and at first glance resembles nothing more than a scarf. On impact, the outer shell expresses an airbag-designed helmet, encasing the wearers head, inflating instantly, as the crash test videos have proven. 

Impressed yet? No? Really?? Okay, well check this out. If you're wondering how this helmet detects impact, look no further than "the black box." This is a unit embedded in the back of the collar which can be turned on and off, recharged through the USB port. It's so super smart that it can tell the difference between you throwing your head back in a hearty laugh, and being seconds away from curb-splat. It also records the 10 seconds during and just before an accident, which can be valuable when detecting what caused the impact, and how you were physically effected. Pretty amazing. 

If you're still not impressed, then keep your hardhat and don't worry about it. As for me? I'm calling some buddies in the EU (since it's not available in America yet) and having mine shipped as soon as I can. 

Fore more info, visit hovding.com.



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