James Dyson Awardee Makes Foldable Paper Bike Helmet

A designer has created a recyclable and foldable cycling helmet made of paper. It won this year's international James Dyson Award and is designed to help people who use bike-sharing schemes and do not have constant access to helmets. 

Designer Isis Shiffer created the EcoHelmet. She was delighted to have won the prize but admitted the paper helmet may be a "tough sell." She said the idea came to her mind while she was using bike-sharing schemes, a growing enterprise worldwide.

She added she was touring new cities with bike-sharing schemes but didn't want to spend $30 buying one. This is given safety requirements and regulations especially regarding bike riders. She told BBC the helmet she made was out of a desire to make it from cheap, recyclable materials that could cost less than $5. 

The helmet has a honeycomb structure designed to protect the head. Shiffer told BBC this design is good at absorbing impact. She added upon testing, everyone who held it was surprised to see how solid it was. Shiffer said it's coated with material that also makes it rain-resistant for three to four hours. 

However, the helmet is designed to be usable for a limited number of uses. This means it will eventually weaken over time, especially if carried around at the bottom of a bag. The final design will likely have a stripe to indicate when to throw it away or a clip that doesn't work after a specified period.

The James Dyson Award has been open to university or recent graduates since 2002. Shiffer will receive a £30,000 prize to help develop the helmet even further. She aims to pilot the new helmet in New York City and may even offer it for free for bike-share users.

The two runners-up for the award were Respia, an Australian group that developed an asthma management system that tracks respiratory health, and a smart contact lens designer from Canada. They each received a £5,000 prize.