Self-Powered Smart Safety Helmet for Improved Road Safety
Disciplines
Electrical and Computer Engineering | Mechanical Engineering
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Many casualties and life-threatening accidents involving bicyclers occur at nighttime when visibility is poor. The lack of adequate and reliable lighting poses a major threat to the bicyclists as it becomes difficult for other vehicle drivers to see the slow-moving manual pedal bicyclists clearly at night. This project is aimed at developing a self-powered smart bicycle helmet that uses a combination of solar and wind energy harvesting devices for illuminating an array of LEDs and also for detecting crashes. The helmet uses software to identify a possible crash by analyzing changes in acceleration and orientation. Power is supplied from thin film solar cells mounted on the exterior surface of the helmet and wind driven micro turbine generators on the front surface. A mobile app has also been developed with the ability to notify preselected contacts with the cyclist’s location upon detecting a crash. The mechanical aspect of the project involved the design and fabrication of a helmet shell using SolidWorks software and 3D printing. For the wind harvesting component, the primary objectives were to identify an efficient motor, optimize blade design, and determine effective mounting locations to maximize power output. Considering typical biking speeds of 8-12 mph, various blade configurations have been tested to achieve optimal performance while ensuring a compact, unobtrusive fit within the helmet's form factor. The helmet also features strategically designed cavities for accommodating all electrical components. The project has successfully developed a smart helmet utilizing hybrid renewable energy harvesting technologies that is capable of providing additional safety features to cyclists particularly at night time and in the event of a possible crash.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
SPCEET - Mechanical Engineering
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Valmiki Sooklal
Additional Faculty
Not Applicable
Self-Powered Smart Safety Helmet for Improved Road Safety
Many casualties and life-threatening accidents involving bicyclers occur at nighttime when visibility is poor. The lack of adequate and reliable lighting poses a major threat to the bicyclists as it becomes difficult for other vehicle drivers to see the slow-moving manual pedal bicyclists clearly at night. This project is aimed at developing a self-powered smart bicycle helmet that uses a combination of solar and wind energy harvesting devices for illuminating an array of LEDs and also for detecting crashes. The helmet uses software to identify a possible crash by analyzing changes in acceleration and orientation. Power is supplied from thin film solar cells mounted on the exterior surface of the helmet and wind driven micro turbine generators on the front surface. A mobile app has also been developed with the ability to notify preselected contacts with the cyclist’s location upon detecting a crash. The mechanical aspect of the project involved the design and fabrication of a helmet shell using SolidWorks software and 3D printing. For the wind harvesting component, the primary objectives were to identify an efficient motor, optimize blade design, and determine effective mounting locations to maximize power output. Considering typical biking speeds of 8-12 mph, various blade configurations have been tested to achieve optimal performance while ensuring a compact, unobtrusive fit within the helmet's form factor. The helmet also features strategically designed cavities for accommodating all electrical components. The project has successfully developed a smart helmet utilizing hybrid renewable energy harvesting technologies that is capable of providing additional safety features to cyclists particularly at night time and in the event of a possible crash.