US college student Ty Uehara has won $US2000 to develop his ConTekt helmet that will call emergency (911) if you have been in a crash.
He’s not the first.
Several other helmets are also being developed, including the Encephalon (Brain) from Nand Logic in the USA, the Indian-made Quin and even a Thai Helpmet.
There is also the BMW e-Call SOS button which is now available on some of its motorcycles.
BMW SOS buttonIt is not yet able to be used in Australia because of our telecommunications set-up.
Europe plans to make the technology mandatory in the next few years as it has in cars for some time.
We suspect that eventually this emergency call technology will be mandatory to secure insurance.
How emergency call works
These devices use a combination of GPS, accelerometers, gyroscope, pressure sensors and Bluetooth to detect a crash and make the call.
They also have override systems in case they are accidentally triggered such as if the helmet falls off the bike while parked.
Ty created his helmet invention after a crash left him unable to call for help.
He entered the helmet in the University of Hawaii Breakthrough Innovation Challenge and won $US2000 (about $A3900).
Ty now plans to use to obtain a patent and develop a working prototype of ConTekt.
He believes it will cost about $US700 ($A1000) when it eventually hits the market.