Bicycles

Inflatable bike helmet packs small, weighs little and takes the hits

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The Inflabi was unveiled this week at the Eurobike show in Germany
Inflabi
The Inflabi, deflated and rolled up for storage
Inflabi
The Inflabi will come with its own pump – a gauge or some other indicator will show users when it's reached the required pressure
Inflabi
The Inflabi was unveiled this week at the Eurobike show in Germany
Inflabi
The Inflabi will be offered in four sizes
Inflabi
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Bike helmets can be bulky things to carry around, which is why we've seen ones that fold or collapse when not in use. The Inflabi takes yet another approach, however, in that it simply gets deflated and rolled up.

Currently being developed by a German startup of the same name, the Inflabi incorporates TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) air chambers covered in a seam-welded abrasion-resistant fabric.

Those chambers are inflated and deflated via valves in the back. And although any third-party hand-operated bicycle tire pump can be used for the former, a compact pump will be included.

Inflating the helmet from empty takes about 20 seconds.

The Inflabi, deflated and rolled up for storage
Inflabi

Along with packing down small when deflated, the Inflabi does offer a few other advantages over traditional helmets.

For one thing, because it's 70% air by volume when inflated, it's much lighter – the current prototype weighs 140 g (4.9 oz), but the exact weight of the final production model has yet to be determined. Because it's more flexible, it's also better able to comfortably conform to the contours of each rider's head. And due to the fact that it doesn't incorporate foam which is damaged by impacts, it should be reusable after crashes.

The Inflabi will be offered in four sizes
Inflabi

Of course, though, safety is the most important consideration. To that end, the designers claim that the Inflabi offers four times the shock absorption of conventional foam helmets. We're told that it will be receiving full European EU1078 safety certification later this year.

Plans call for an initial small run of Inflabi helmets to be offered for presale in August, with shipping set to commence in November. Its estimated price sits at around €150 (US$163), although that may change due to supply chain issues.

Source: Inflabi via BikeRadar

View gallery - 4 images
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10 comments
Rick O
Unless there is some VERY advanced hidden trickery going on to control the movement of air in this thing, it's really just an inflatable HAT. Ever kneel down on an air mattress? You hit your knee on the ground. Maybe if you can inflate this thing to 45 psi or more it will ease the impact. But I wouldn't want that on my head.
itsKeef
sure, better than nothing...however nothing is better than a conventional 'hard hat'.
itsKeef
...btw . one of worst aspects of a badly designed cycle is poor ventilation. Hot and sweaty. Cyclists less likely to wear it.?
Daveb
I like it. Rick O, I imagine that air passage between each cell is controlled by using tiny, sturdy orifices which allow for only slow flow, suitable for inflation but virtually blocked in the event of sudden pressure extremes that occur on impact. It is possible, to my way of thinking, that this could actually be superior to a rigid foam helmet. And yes, I am a cyclist.
Chris__
@rick - I don't think an air mattress is a good comparison to this, they run really low pressures to behave like the very soft foam in mattresses - it's not like conventional polystyrene foam helmets are made from the same foam as a mattress!
vince
Same reason why I wanted to design air bags for hail damage prevention. I created a roll up air bag that is inflated with a high volume pump like that's used by a bounce house and inflates the bag in about 5 to 10 seconds. And then you simply grab one end of the roll and pull it over the car and pin to the front bumper, license plate, etc and then activate the pump. It completely protects the car and even up to baseball size hail going 120 mph at impact without a scratch if the pressure inside is high enough. But designing a lightweight plastic/vinyl/velour roll up that uses a spring to roll it automatically back up (like a tape measure) wasn't easy to accomplish in my limited budgted so gave up. But it sure works well. I can see a day when a company makes a small tubular bumber attachment to the rear bumper so that an owner can roll out the protective cover and blow it up once the threat of large hail ensues. It works. It really does. but be careful of the hail bouncing off--it can be going still very fast and hurt like the dickens. I found that out when threw a baseball at 80+ mph at the side of one and it bounced back an hit me and ouch.
Rustgecko
I’ve always wondered, why don’t they make high pressure car bumpers along these lines?
michael_dowling
Rustgecko: Probably because it would have to be a size that it would be impractical,and would ruin the lines of the car.
MarylandUSA
Rustgecko,
People have designed car bumpers filled with popcorn. The first such bumper was offered in the 1980s at a high-school science fair.
Ligfietser
interesting really. I put one on while I was at the SPEZI 2023 in Lachringen (Germany) in general I am not in favor of bicycle helmets, but the national thinking is going towards having a helmet on, while riding a bicycle. If eventually it would become a law, I would probably buy an Inflabi if it turns out to be a good helmet. Incidentally I am riding bicycles now for seventy years and I fell three times, one time hurting my knee and two times hurting an elbow. If they would design a mini-Inflabi I know where to put them. Kidding. Anyway I wish the company succes!