New York designer Joe Doucet has designed a motorcycle helmet features an LED light that pairs with a built-in accelerometer to prevent accidents. Called the Sotera Advanced Active Safety Helmet, the product is made of polycarbonate and the synthetic fiber Kevlar, which are both durable and heat-resistant materials.
Doucet wanted to create a helmet that would prevent accidents, as well as protecting users in the event of one. His research found an 80 percent chance of injury or death on a motorcycle in the event of an accident, compared to 20 percent for passenger vehicles.
“Currently, helmets are designed to limit injury after an accident,” explains Doucet. “I simply asked, what if helmets worked to prevent accidents instead?”
While most helmets are designed to minimize injury after an accident, Sotera is designed to actually prevent them by making the rider more visible to other drivers. The helmet is equipped with a USB rechargeable LED lighting panel to make the rider much more noticeable in an array of lighting conditions. Built-in accelerometers detect when the rider is braking and switch to a red color, alerting drivers behind them.
Believing the innovations to have the ability to reduce accidents and save lives, Doucet has refused to patent the invention and offers it freely to all manufacturers.
