- I started looking at different designs for a “breathable” helmet. Basically, I want to design something that requires minimum amount of plastic or styrofoam that the current helmets use.
- I thought of graphene as a possible option to design the basic chassis of the helmet. It’s light and strong. I play squash and most of the racquets are made of graphene. The only thing is that graphene is a bit on the costlier side so maybe a blend of graphene and some other material can be used to make the whole thing more sustainable from a cost perspective.
7/9 10:40 PM
I visualised a lot of things in my head but I’m having difficulty putting them on paper. I also researched more on the graphene thing and I’m beginning to think that’s not really sustainable.
It’s because the shock absorbing capability of helmets really requires a foam type material.
But I found this website that gave me a nice alternate idea which I can present as a material prototype
I went into more depth and realised that in terms of safety this design did not do very well. But in terms of fit, people found it much more comfortable to wear.
So, I realised that the material of the outer shell is not something I should experiment with because the current conventional helmets made with EPS foam plus some kind of polycarbonate material has been optimized for the light-weight and safety factor after years of research. What I can do is make the inner padding better.
So, I think for the better breathability aspect of my prototype I’m gonna go with a design that accommodates for longer hair with a dedicated space at the back of the helmet. I want to keep that as a flap so that those who don’t need that extra space can close it for more support at the back of the helmet.
So something like this would not be ideal because because it does not accommodate for the long hair and instead presses upon it which would be a problem for longer trips.
But something like this might work:
___________________________________________________________________________________
7/9 11:40 PM
The second aspect I want to focus on is the location of the lock. The above picture is what I’m thinking of developing for the prototype, especially the backside. The portion above the ponytail is where I want the adjustable knob to be. It’s a bit high but then I will connect the straps from inside and it will act as additional padding so it will help in the comfort aspect of the design.
The knob basically houses the lock. It will have a button which opens the knob up like a container, which contains the locking cable. It doesn’t need to be long (the cable) as I want it to just go around one spoke of the wheel or a pole (from the other side of the helmet) and lock back into the knob container itself. So basically, it never leaves the knob container. It is housed within it and locks within it too.