Friday, September 28, 2012

A helmet that sends SOS on accident!

The brainchild of an India-born chef for top cyclists, a new 'life saver' bike helmet that connects with your phone and alerts emergency services in case of an accident is set to hit the markets soon.

The potentially life saving smartphone app, which can detect a crash and then alert the emergency services, has been designed for bike riders.

The clever application pairs through Bluetooth with a motion detector which is attached to the rider's helmet and senses the crash.

The invention has been created by Oklahoma-based software company ICEdot in the US.

The detector, named the ICEdot Crash Sensor, can even evaluate the severity of the crash depending on the force of the rider's fall, the Daily Mail reported.

Chris Zenthoefer, ICEdot's CEO, said: "The idea came from Biju Thomas, a prominent chef for a lot of top cyclists. He was on a solo ride and crashed and thought if the crash had been any worse, nobody would have know where he was located."

"We were then introduced and it became clear that the pairing of his idea with ICEdot existing technology were a perfect match," Zenthoefer said.

Following an accident the app will prompt the phone to sound an alarm and a countdown, which can be set to between 15 and 60 seconds, is initiated.

If the alarm is not deactivated the app will contact an SOS service and relay vital information.

Using GPS coordinates the device can reveal the user's location and the severity of their condition.

What's more, it can even pass on crucial medical details, for example if the user has diabetes or any allergies.

If the fall is not critical, the crash victim can simply cease the countdown on their phone and cancel the process.

The cost of the motion sensor device, the smartphone app and a one year membership to the ICEdot service is estimated to be about 120 pounds.

The device should be on the market in April next year, the daily said.