The name “invisible” has been given to the design as it cannot be seen while riding the bike. The airbag works in a way that if a biker falls off their bicycle, the collar is filled with gas and the airbag surrounds the riders head. The two Swedish design students, Anna Haupt and Terese Alstin, started working on the
airbag collar in 2005 after investigating thousands of cycling accidents. "Bicycle helmets have always been the same. They're so bulky, like a hard mushroom on your head,” commented the designers. They strongly believed that if they could find a helmet that was more fashionable more people would be inclined to wear a helmet and therefore fewer injuries would occur. Their new invention is called the
Hövding. After co-operating with a Swedish airbag company, Alva, the
Hövding design became reality and the airbag collar is available for around $530.
