This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
INNOVATION Tailormade solution


Recent graduate Rupert Cain (BSc Product Design, 2015) has come up with an ingenious new helmet designed specifically with the needs of urban cyclists in mind


Like so many of the best ideas, Rupert Cain’s ingenious new take on the familiar bike helmet was born out of necessity. ‘I’ve had a couple of crashes,’ says Rupert (pictured right), a keen cyclist who commuted to LSBU from his home in Wimbledon. ‘And I credit my helmet with saving me. But looking around I could see lots of people still riding without one. I’m not in favour of making helmets compulsory, but it seemed to me that if you could make something genuinely portable, it might encourage people to stop taking the risk.’


Initially, Rupert’s final year project focused on coming up with a design that could be folded down. The shell is constructed from a number of separate plates, linked by cords made from Dyneema – a polyethylene with a better strength-to-weight ratio than cable steel – connected to a simple ratchet at the back. Tighten the ratchet and the shell comes together in a helmet shape; pop it open, and the whole thing folds down flat, ready to slip into a bag.


So far, so ingenious. But the story doesn’t end there. ‘Most helmets are lined with expanded polystyrene,’ says Rupert. ‘That’s great at dissipating energy in a high-speed impact. But most urban impacts happen at low to moderate speed. Then, a hard liner can actually increase the risk of concussion.’ The solution was a pre-inflatable liner that can be pumped up using a bicycle pump – a simple bit of kit that all cyclists will have with them anyway.


‘‘ The next step would be to find an investor, or maybe look at crowdfunding. For now, I want to get some real-world experience”


How it works


For now, the project is on hold while Rupert looks for full-time work. ‘The next step would be to find an investor, or maybe look at crowdfunding. For now, I want to get some real-world experience before coming back to this with the skills to take it to the next level.’


If you could help one of our entrepreneurial students or recent graduates secure the work experience or employment opportunity they need to get ahead, we’d love to talk. Contact us on:


alumni@lsbu.ac.uk 020 7815 6712


Rupert made the shell of the helmet out of nylon panels, created on a 3D printer and linked by Dyneema cord. The shape is designed to offer maximum protection. Inside, an inflatable liner is effective against low and moderate speed impacts


8 | SOUTH BANK | Autumn 2015


Press the button at the back of the helmet to release the cords, and the shell flattens out into a shape roughly the size of a piece of A4 paper, and around 5cm thick


If needed, the helmet can be folded over again to make an even smaller package. This premium product is intended to be a ‘helmet for life’ that cyclists can carry with them everywhere they go


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24
Produced with Yudu - www.yudu.com