Design student Anirudha Surabhi noticed that the helmets we’ve come to accept as part of keeping us safe aren’t really good at their jobs. So he improved on the idea, using ordinary corrugated cardboard.
According to Surabhi, the polystyrene helmets we wear while cycling or skating haven’t gotten much safer in the last few decades. He writes:
Helmets protect your head only 16% of the times during a crash and have been giving us the false implication of safety. Emphasis this day is given to styling and aerodynamics. However, polystyrene does little to absorb impact energy but distributes it over the head. Since the past twenty years improvements have been made in the fields of aerodynamics and styling. However while cycling through a busy city at an average speed of 12mph, safety is more important than aerodynamics.
With that in mind, he created a helmet that can take four times the impact than its plastic cousin. Covering the cardboard is a water-resistant acrylic to keep your head dry in the rain. And the best part? They can be custom made to fit your head, adding that much more to your safety. This is bound to be a hit whenever it hits stores. [Wired]