The EcoHelmet’s whole story began when the team noticed that almost all the bicyclists who use bike share programs don’t wear helmets, and that nearly all report feeling unsafe. EcoHelmet is designed as a solution for this type of user (commuters who use bike-shares): it’s a folding, recyclable, waterproof helmet that comes in a honeycomb pattern which allows it to be flattened into just an inch and a half half-circle and then unfolded again into the full helmet. It absorbs impact as well as any traditional helmet. It won the 2016 International James Dyson Award, and I think’s a beautiful and genius solution to the problem of bike sharing and helmets. I’m very fond of design solutions that involve paper folding, as my parents are really into using paper for architectural models and exploring paper properties.
