The Award-Winning Foldable Helmet That Could Save Millions of Cyclists

A revolutionary foldable bike helmet has secured a £30,000 prize in the 2016 James Dyson Award, helping bring it closer to mass production.

The design, named EcoHelmet, was created by Isis Shiffer, a 28-year-old New York-based designer and cycling enthusiast.

The idea came to her while using city bike-share schemes, where she noticed a major drawback: riders either had to carry their own helmet or spend a considerable amount of money to buy one.

“I realized there was a missing piece in the system. Bike-sharing programs are everywhere, but there’s no simple, affordable option for helmets,” Shiffer explained.

Her solution was the EcoHelmet, a collapsible helmet made from paper-based materials.

The invention had already won the US national prize and then went on to be crowned the international winner of the 2016 James Dyson Award, which recognizes innovative student-level projects across 22 countries.

Past winners include groundbreaking designs such as a robotic arm, fishing nets that protect marine life, and inflatable incubators for premature babies.

Sir James Dyson praised the invention, saying: “EcoHelmet solves an obvious problem with incredible simplicity. Beneath that simplicity lies deep research and development.

I look forward to seeing these helmets available at bike-share stations worldwide.”

Shaped like an accordion when folded, the helmet expands into a honeycomb structure that provides impact resistance from all directions.

It’s designed as a one-size-fits-most solution and has been tested using crash simulation equipment during Shiffer’s studies at the Pratt Design Institute in New York, as well as during her time at the Royal College of Art and Imperial College in London.

Now running her own consultancy, Shiffer is moving forward with development alongside a Los Angeles-based company to handle supply chain, marketing, and fundraising.

Plans include waterproofing the helmet with a biodegradable or recyclable coating, such as wax, and incorporating an indicator to show when the helmet should be replaced.

The projected cost is about $5 (£4), making it affordable enough to be sold through vending machines at bike-hire stations.

Shiffer views EcoHelmet as an improvement on earlier eco-friendly helmet concepts, such as the Kranium, which combined cardboard with non-recyclable materials. “Unlike those designs, EcoHelmet can be fully recycled,” she noted.

Despite her confidence in the idea, Shiffer admitted she was stunned by the 2016 award recognition. “I was shocked. I kind of bounced around, hyperventilated a bit, and called my mum. I’m not an engineer, so to be honored in such a technical field feels both exciting and deeply rewarding.”