A computer science major has been awarded the Hawaii Breakthrough Innovation Challenge award for developing a motorcycle helmet that calls 911 if it detects a crash.
The student behind the project, Ty Uehara, came up with the idea after his friend was involved in a crash at a roundabout. The incident saw him seriously injured and lying at the bottom of a grass bank, out of site of other road users and pedestrians.
The idea that Uehara came up with is called the ConTekt and it is claimed to be able to detect when the rider has been involved in an accident and uses GPS to point the emergency services to the scene of the incident.
The helmet includes accelerometers that are able to distinguish if the rider and helmet are turning or tumbling in an unnatural direction. While pressure monitors are able to pick up on abrupt changes in speed or impacts on the helmet’s outer shell.
Speaking to CNN, he said:
“If you were to get into an accident, you'd have no way of accessing your phone [as most riders have it in a backpack or on the handle bars] if you've been critically injured or if your bike is distanced from you. They'll be given a lifeline without risking any injury by moving.”
As a result of winning the award, Uehara took home $2000 which he plans to use to patent the helmet with any leftover being put into a prototype.
Would you consider buying a motorcycle helmet that could respond in this way?
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