05-05-2025
Inflatable bike helmet ‘offers better protection for brain'
Scientists in white lab coats are watching on intently as a lifesize plastic model of a human head hurtles down a metal rig, protected only by an inflatable cycling helmet.
It ricochets off the ground with a bang, as sensors hidden inside the dummy head capture all of the forces that such a 'crash' would inflict on the human brain.
The team at Headlab, based at Imperial College London, are on a mission to make cycling safer by testing how best to design helmets to minimise the risk of brain injuries.
One solution is to replace the hard polystyrene foam traditionally used in cycle helmets with compressed air. A British start-up called Ventete has created an inflatable helmet, with tests by Headlab finding that it
