- Title: ISRAEL: Smart helmet monitors cyclists' workout
- Date: 28th May 2013
- Summary: TEL AVIV, ISRAEL (APRIL 9, 2013) (REUTERS) MORE OF CYCLIST RIDING
- Embargoed: 12th June 2013 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Israel
- Country: Israel
- Topics: Science
- Reuters ID: LVADCORMLG4OLCI4EFFBTG7S110F
- Story Text: A tiny sensor embedded inside a bicycle helmet is being promoted as a better alternative for cyclists who want to keep an eye on their heart-rate during work-outs. According to its designers, the sensor is superior technology to conventional heart-rate monitors, which are often unwieldy and uncomfortable.
Israeli designers say they've devised the world's first smart cycling helmet and hope that by the autumn cyclists will be able to use it to monitor their heart-rate while riding their bikes.
Tel Aviv-based technology firm LifeBEAM had already created a miniaturised sensing platform called Quantum, for use in fighter pilots' helmets which monitors a pilot's heart rate, blood flow, and oxygen saturation while in flight. They've adapted some of their secret technology to create their heart rate-monitoring SMART bicycle helmet.
The helmet has a lightweight sensor inside the front of the helmet which can process data to a cellphone or on-board computer, according to LifeBEAM co-founder Zvika Orron.
"We have the sensor on the front part of the helmet. This is where it monitors the blood flow at the forehead. It's wired, integrated into the helmet itself, and there is a processing unit, very small which does all the processing and transmits all the data to any cellphone device or any bicycle computer and it just fits on over here, it looks really nice, lightweight; the whole thing together weighs just 40 grams," said Orron.
Cyclists wishing to monitor their heart rate in order to maximise their workout and customise their routine presently have to ride with a monitor strapped to their chest, which can be uncomfortable. Orron says the SMART helmet is far more user-friendly.
"It's much more comfortable, first of all. You don't need anything else, you just need to put on you helmet, wear it, and ride away. The sensing technology is very accurate. We were tested in a wide range of tests and compared to the main gold standards in the field we were proven to be very very accurate," he said.
The sensor is sweat-resistant and rests unobtrusively on the user's forehead. It's able to measure the wearer's pulse, and transmits the raw data to a processing unit in the back of the helmet. The unit contains a 3-axis accelerometer, which it uses to distinguish between the heart rate data and artifacts caused by movement. The automatically cleaned-up and processed data is transmitted by Bluetooth 4.0 or ANT+ to the cyclist's smartphone, fitness watch or cycling computer, where it's displayed in real time on the device's screen. The sensor and processing unit lasts for at least 15 hours on one charge of their lithium-ion battery.
Itai Maron, LifeBEAM Vice President, says using some of the technology deployed in Quantum seemed a logical move.
"We develop systems for airspace and aeronautic solutions and we just decided we can take this technology and we can tweak it in order to fit the consumer market and actually to the cycling domain, which we're very close to, in order to provide a real benefit to bikers," he said.
The company is currently raising production funds for the SMART helmet, on crowd-sourcing web platform Indiegogo. A pledge of $149 is required to buy one of the first batch.
"We are aiming to finish the first batch of the helmets by the end of September 2013 and providing the first helmets to all of our backers, or contributors through the Indiegogo campaign, and once we complete distributing all these smart cycling helmets we're going to go and with the distribution channels that we're currently building throughout the campaign all over the world, we're going to distribute the smart cycling helmet in various channels world-wide," said Orron.
The sensors have been integrated into a stock Lazer Sport GENESIS helmet, which is included as part of the package. Mass global production is then planned by LifeBEAM who may integrate the system into a variety of other helmets. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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