Bicycle helmet made from recycled cardboard stronger than plastic helmets (w/video)
(Nanowerk News) Expanded polystyrene has been used in creating bike helmets for the past few decades and no one has ever questioned their integrity. Helmets protect your head only 16 per cent of the time during a crash. Why is this unsustainable, non-recyclable material, largely focused on aesthetics, being pushed into our lives to promote safety?
By combining my product design and industrial design backgrounds, Anirudha Surabhi Venkata from the Royal College of Art in London proposes to make a helmet that will revolutionise the cycling industry, through improved safety, comfort and customisation.
"I wish to create a perfect amalgamation of form and function, using cheap and easily available eco-friendly materials" says Surabhi.
Kranium helmets use a unique paper board developed specifically for impact absorption, called Dual Density Honey Comb Board or D2. This board is then broken down into ribs which are strategically placed to absorb 3 times the amount of impact as a regular Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) helmet. These helmets have been extensively tested against the standards at TUV test labs in Germany, HPE test labs in London and STG test labs in China.
The helmets are made from recycled paper as well to reduce their carbon footprint.
They are also 15% lighter when compared to an identical EPS liner.
The video below showcases the development of the revolutionary Kranium helmet Liner ever since it was conceptualised at the Royal College Of Art in London.
