Wearing a helmet while biking can significantly help you avoid severe injuries and even death in the case of an accident. But people often refuse to wear these gadgets because they find them too bulky, heavy, or just plain uncomfortable. These are all things that the Danish-made Newton-Rider helmet aims to solve, as it’s sleek, thin, and made of semi-soft materials.
The helmet consists of a flexible, stretchable liner on the inside, joined to a series of “viscoelastic” and “non-Newtonian” pads on the outside, which means it’s semi-soft during regular riding but hardens in case of an impact, absorbing the energy that would otherwise be delivered to the head.
As a result of these material properties, the helmet is foldable and it can adjust to the contours of the rider’s head, making it convenient to carry around and comfortable to wear. And, the Newton-Rider is twice as thin compared to traditional polystyrene foam helmets, being just 16 mm thick, while weighing no more than 460 g (16 oz).
What’s more, because they subsequently soften back to their original shape after a collision, the helmet can be reused. This isn’t the case for the polystyrene-lined helmets which break after impact.
Currently, the Newton-Rider helmet is the subject of an Indiegogo campaign. You can see the helmet in use, following the link in the source article.
