The idea was to create a smart bicycle helmet that does not distract the user from the traffic which surrounds him. To do so we designed a helmet with integrated bone conduction headphones that connect to the smartphone wirelessly via bluetooth. The smartphone app navigates the cyclist or plays his favorite music and shows his cycling-data.
At first the user needs to connect his smartphone with the helmet. The first time connecting it via bluetooth, he can scan the QR code on the inside of the helmet. If it has been connected once, it automatically connects every time thereafter. To navigate to a special location, the user can search an address by typing in the search or simply by voice command without the need to unlock the phone.
The cyclist has the opportunity to get notifications when a friend of him is cycling nearby or when one of his favorites like the bank is in range and he needs to get there because he's out of cash. On a bicycle tour the user can turn on the explorer mode which suggest him cafés or restaurants or reads details about attractions in range. For a maximum of privacy it is also possible to turn off the visibility for friends or the GPS tracking.
The bone conduction headphones are also great for listening to the music. The app simply connects with the phones music library and things like the volume or play/pause are also controllable with haptic elements on the helmet. The GPS data tracked by the helmet is visualized in the stats.
One half of the hardware prototype was CNC-milled the other one 3D-printed and then the top was deep-drawn. The inside of the helmet consists of mesh for a soft feeling. The helmet was designed especially for pedelecs and e-bikes which achieve top speeds of 45km/h. That means it has to be safer than casual bicycle helmets.