PROLO

What it does

PROLO is “the interlocking system of the helmet and lock of the bicycle for children”. It is intended to ensure that children wear helmets even where parents can not see them.

Your inspiration

Most injuries caused by children's bicycle accidents are head injuries. The fatality rate when the helmet is not worn is 2.5 times higher when worn. However, under the Road Traffic Act, wearing a helmet is strictly required, the rate of wearing is very low, about 25%. In addition, through our own research, we found that some children would stop wearing their helmets for reasons such as 'troublesome' or 'I am free from accidents' where parents could not reach their eyes. Development of a helmet for safety has progressed, but in the first place there is no product to prompt them to wear the helmet securely. PROLO plays its role.

How it works

The mechanism is a simple idea of " interlocking helmets and bicycle locks ". Wearing a helmet unlocks it and removing the helmet locks it. The helmet is equipped with an infrared LED and a phototransistor, and the head blocks the light that is emitted to detect that the helmet is worn. During driving, the built-in sensor detects acceleration blurring and prevents locking. It is important not to give a sense of compulsion because PROLO is a product that parents use for their children. By sticking to the appearance and behavior as if the child "wants to use", we will support "the child will achieve safety with his own will". These product and system attach to the existing bicycle and helmet easily.

Design process

①Proposal Advances in technology enrich our lives but sometimes hide the essential issues. For example, the spread of automated driving does not necessarily mean that the accident will go away. If a car comes close with high speed, you will break the posture. At that time, even if you have a helmet that possess high safety performance, it does not make sense unless you wear it. We realized that in order to prevent head damage during riding a bicycle, it was not to pursue the performance of the helmet but to increase the wear rate. We also consider it important to quickly spread our products into society, and try to solve smartly with the combination of existing technologies. ②Prototype production PROLO is a product that parents use for their children. Implementing functions only in engineering may cause a sense of compulsion. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the aesthetics so that children would like to use them and to maintain a good parent-child relationship. Many models have been produced. This model is the most functional and aesthetically beautiful. Even now, we keep working on development with the help of a few specific families.

How it is different

The future we want to realize is to increase the rate of children wearing helmets and to spread the social needs. As its idea, we suggest a system that interlocks a helmet and a lock. Currently, There are no similar idea in the existing products. If the same effect product is expected, helmet that makes children think they want to wear and to reduce stuffiness. The fundamental difference between them and PROLO is that they are intended to ensure that the helmet is worn, therefore, it is important to force naturally. This leads to increased safety during riding a bicycle.

Future plans

Technical Currently, PROLO uses actuators, batteries, etc. In the future, it is necessary to promote collaboration with companies in order to promote product high precision. On the other hand, the technology installed in PROLO is already used in many products, so the technical barrier is not high. We want to speed up development, repeat field tests by many test users, and conduct endurance tests, sell the product. Financial Currently, the team member are only students, so it is necessary to raise development funds. In the future, we will launch startup companies and work with manufacturers, and consider raising funds through crowdfunding.

Awards

Hardware Contest GUGEN 2018 "Good Idea Award"