Hövding

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Hövding 1.0

Hövding ( Swedish for 'chief') is the world's first airbag for cyclists . The U. a. The protection system received as an “airbag helmet” or “invisible helmet” is worn as a collar around the neck. A fall of the wearer is to be detected under sensor control and the airbag inflated within a tenth of a second, which is supposed to protect the head as a kind of air-filled bicycle helmet in the event of an impact . Various external studies (including those from Stanford University ) have shown that Hövding can provide up to eight times better protection than classic bicycle helmets.

The innovative protection system has received various awards and is funded by the European Union as part of the EU framework program for research and innovation Horizon 2020 .

According to the Swedish manufacturer Hövding Sverige AB , the product, which has been developed since 2005, is available in 16 markets in Europe and Japan and was sold more than a hundred thousand times by June 2018.

history

Since July 1, 2005, children under the age of 15 must wear a helmet when cycling in Sweden by law. In the run-up to this, a debate was triggered about whether adult helmets should also be mandatory.

As a result of this debate and surveys, which showed that cyclists wanted a helmet that was more attractive or, ideally, an invisible and yet safe helmet, the Swedes Anna Haupt and Terese Alstin dealt with the project "Helmet of the future" during their industrial design studies at Lund University. . The project became her master's thesis . Haupt and Alstin received a scholarship to further develop their concept after completing their studies.

In 2005 Haupt and Alstin won the Swedish innovation award Innovationsbron Ideas Grant , which provided them with the funds for their first research and development work. In 2006 Hövding won the leading Scandinavian start-up competition Venture Cup in Sweden. This enabled the establishment of Hövding Sweden AB in the same year. After seven years of research and development, the concept became the marketable product Hövding.

In 2014 Haupt and Alstin were finalists for the European Inventor Award . Hövding received funding of 1.37 million euros for the period from 2016 to 2020 as part of the EU framework program for research and innovation Horizon 2020.

Model variants

Hövding 1.0
 The first Hövding model to be launched is now known as Hövding 1.0 . It was available in two sizes (small, medium) and weighed around 750 and 800 grams, respectively.
Hövding 2.0
The following model variant was the Hövding 2.0 , offered in three sizes (small, medium, large), which have been enlarged compared to the first model. The zipper has been extended. The mechanics and electronics have been improved, which has led to a weight reduction of around 100 grams (total weight: around 600 to 700 grams). The Hövding 2.0 is also adapted for use with more types of bicycles (e.g. mini-bikes and folding bikes). The USB port has been moved from the front to the back of the product.
Hövding 3.0
The third model generation was introduced at the end of October 2019. This was again 100 grams (total weight: 800 grams) heavier. New are an app connected via Bluetooth that notifies emergency contacts via SMS in the event of an accident, as well as a size adjustment so that this generation of models can only be bought in one size. In addition, the previous mini-USB connector was abandoned in favor of a USB-C port. Outwardly, little has changed compared to the previous generation: the gas cartridge on the back is no longer completely covered with fabric and the closure on the front has been redesigned.

Companies

The Swedish manufacturer Hövding Sverige AB , based in Malmö , was founded in 2006 and has been listed on June 16, 2015 ( Nasdaq First North , Stockholm, and Frankfurt Stock Exchange ). As of December 31, 2017, the company had 33 employees and generated sales of 56.7 million crowns (just under 5.8 million euros) in the 2017 financial year .

According to the company, as of June 2018, over 100,000 Hövding had been sold.

reception

2015: Test by Folksam

The Swedish insurance company Folksam has been testing bicycle helmets regularly since 2012. In 2015 she tested the Hövding 2.0 as one of 18 helmets for adults. According to the test, Hövding offers at least three times better shock absorption than all classic bicycle helmets. According to the EU helmet standard ( EN  1078), no acceleration greater than 250 g may act on the head . While the classic helmets achieved an average translational acceleration of 175 g (minimum 140 g , maximum 242 g ), the Hövding only achieved 48 g . The rotational energy acting on the head was also reduced significantly better than with conventional helmets.

2016: Stanford University

A team of bioengineers from Stanford University in the United States carried out a series of drop tests with the Hövding 2.0 in 2016 and came to the conclusion that the risk of concussion is eight times less than that of conventional helmets. The Hövding's thickness and stiffness have been described as almost perfect at protecting against concussions and head injuries. However, they found that the air pressure in the helmet is critical to optimal performance. If it only inflates partially, the Hövding might offer less protection than a helmet made of expanded polystyrene .

Media about Hövding 2.0

In September 2018, the WDR magazine program Servicezeit showed an airbag deployment in a self-experiment. Hövding reminded the tester of a thick anorak collar. The cold gas generator, which inflates the airbag using helium when triggered, can be clearly felt when it is worn. The batteries should last about nine hours at a time. It was noted that accident scenarios are conceivable in which a normal helmet provides better protection: In the event of a frontal crash with another cyclist, Hövding would only be triggered in the event of a fall, while a normal helmet provides direct protection.

In November 2018, the editors of came Radfahren.de , an Internet portal of the trade publisher BVA bike Media , to the view that the Hövding has a disadvantage compared to conventional helmets, "If you drive into an obstacle at head height, the air bag may not trip. Another small restriction is that you have to charge it occasionally. ”The Hövding is aimed primarily at everyday cyclists who sit upright and have not yet used a helmet. Sporty drivers press the technology in the collar all the more against the back of the head, the further they put their head back. Otherwise, Hövding was positively received in the report and test.

In a test by Fit for Fun magazine in January 2019, some advantages and disadvantages of Hövding were named. In addition to the comparatively high price, a possible change in sitting posture or head position in sporty bike models due to the relatively rigid collar was criticized. It is not recommended for racing cyclists.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ See for example: Protection for helmet muffins . In: Focus Online , February 19, 2013, accessed June 7, 2018.
  2. ↑ a b Airbag helmet for cyclists . European Union website, accessed June 7, 2018.
  3. ↑ a b c d e About us . hovding.de, accessed on June 7, 2018.
  4. ↑ a b c Terese Alstin, Anna Haupt (Sweden): Finalists of the European Inventor Award 2014 . European Patent Office website , accessed June 7, 2018.
  5. ↑ Questions and Answers . hovding.de, accessed on June 7, 2018.
  6. ↑ Airbag helmet manufacturer Hövding goes public: "The airbag helmet is not just for cyclists" . In: Manager Magazin , July 15, 2015, accessed June 7, 2018.
  7. ↑ Årsredovisning 2017 . Annual financial statements for the 2017 financial year of Hövding Sverige AB, accessed on June 7, 2018 (Swedish; PDF).
  8. ↑ Bicycle helmet test 2015 by Folksam . Folksam , 2015 (English; PDF). See also Elva populära cykelhjälmar för vuxna: Test result 2015 . folksam.se (Swedish). Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  9. ↑ Taylor Kubota: Stanford researchers show air bag bike helmets have promise . In: Stanford News , October 3, 2016, accessed June 7, 2018.
  10. ↑ Mehmet Kurt u. a .: Modeling and Optimization of Airbag Helmets for Preventing Head Injuries in Bicycling . In: Annals of Biomedical Engineering , Volume 45, No. 4, April 2017, doi : 10.1007 / s10439-016-1732-1 , pp. 1148–1160.
  11. ↑ Nico Rau: The airbag for cyclists . In: WDR : Servicezeit , September 4, 2018, accessed on February 9, 2019.
  12. ↑ Hövding: The safe airbag helmet for city bikers . In: Fahrrad.de , November 27, 2018, accessed on February 9, 2019.
  13. ↑ Katharina Klein: Test: The Hövding bicycle airbag - what can the "helmet on the neck" do? In: Fit for Fun , January 19, 2019, accessed February 9, 2019.