Innovative Design Solutions for Ventilation
To dig even more deeply into the possibilities, a group of design students developed various new and innovative helmet designs, attempting to surpass the thermal comfort capabilities of the helmets currently available. The designs were tested against factors like wind speed and the affect of hair on ventilation. In the end, the ability to customise helmets for specific user needs became the most effective solution.
The tested helmets with codes and authors’ names
Some of the helmets designed in this experiment performed better in practically any condition, as compared to helmets currently on the market. In more than half the cases, the new designs performed better than the best helmets currently on the market.
However, more research is necessary to put these results into full context. It proved difficult to find a single new design that performed well in multiple factors. The best helmet design for sweat evaporation was not the same as the best helmet design for insulation. This indicates that bicyclists’ solutions must be defined by the user’s bicycling activity, weather conditions, speed of travel, etc. In addition, at this point in the investigation, the protective factor of the various designs was not taken into consideration, and could affect final designs. However, there was a clear indication that the new designs developed during the investigation could significantly improve helmet ventilation, as compared to helmets currently on the market.
