The Rove 14/57 by FMD from germany

The Rove 14/57

A couple of months ago, I realized that there is almost no product that has been designed that often as bicycle helmets were. The thing that didn´t change through the years is the fact of looking stupid wearing a helmet. So the challenge I set myself was to make a bicycle helmet that works as protection and fashion accessory at the same time. A product people love as much as they do it with their nice retro bikes or their new city cruisers. My idea was to create an absolutely new kind of helmet that melts with your head and becomes a visual part of your outfit. Moreover, I wanted to include the benefit of rolling and folding the helmet. This would guarantee a perfect fit and handling of the product in everyday's life.

I did a lot of line-studies by drawing over portraits, read a lot of scientific studies and did clay models.
The main reason for looking strange wearing a helmet is definitely the thick dimensions of the shock absorbing material (Polysterene). Polysterene requires such a big material thickness in order to absorb the forces caused by an accident. In my research I found a new and innovative material called „Visco-elastic Foam“. The material absorbs as much forces, at a thickness of 10mm, as Polysterene at a thickness of 30-40 mm. This is tested and proofed by the foam developing company SAS-TEC. With this material I found the perfect basis to realize my idea of a flexible, good looking helmet.
Because of the slim Material Thickness, the outer surface of the helmet gets very close to the hair and the skin of the person wearing it. The waving lines of hair combined with the simple and straight retro leather helmets appearance is the main theme I chose for the Design of the helmet. All the linestudies, in combination with the wavy but straight surfaces, made out of a flexible foam, is what I created as a new and disruptive Design. The sideline of the helmet is the most massive line in the whole design. A study by the German insurance club says that 90% of the injuries caused by bicycle crashes are located at the lower third of the cranium. This area is not protected by current helmets! For protecting especially this area I pulled this line around the ear and deep into the neck so this area is protected without any big material lumps at the back of the head.The whole helmet consists of this main shell, made of Visco-Elastic Foam, leather-kevlar sandwich ribbons and leather cushions. These are made of the same foam as the outer shell. All of this parts get welded to one item by vulcanizing the cushion and the outer shell, putting the leather-kevlar ribbons in between and press it. What you get is a fully flexible but highly protective helmet.

All in all, I think I disrupted the helmet industry by the completely new way of seeing a helmet as an accessory in combination with a new material which allowed me to create a FLEXIBLE, SLIM and highly SHOCK ABSORPTIVE helmet which melts into your outfit and your everyday's life.