Now, a helmet that safeguards against pollution

NEW DELHI: Here is a helmet that can protect your head – and your lungs. An anti-pollution helmet developed by a startup can help two-wheeler riders breathe clean air. The helmet has a system set at the back that picks up all particulate matter coming from outside and cleans the air before it reaches the biker.

The product, titled Puros, has been developed by Shellios Technolabs, which received seed funding from the Department of Science and Technology (DST), and was incubated at Science and Technology Entrepreneur Park (JSSATE-STEP) Noida. It has partnered with Royal Enfield Motorcycles to commercialise the helmet. The headgear has air purifying accessories, including patented innovations, like a brushless DC blower fan, particulate air filter membrane, electronic circuit, and micro USB charging port integrated into it.

Following all mandatory standards stipulated by the government, the 1.5 kg helmet ensures exposure reduction by more than 80 per cent as measured using a controlled environment. The product, at technology readiness level 9, has been granted a utility patent and is now being sold in the country at a cost of Rs 4,500.

The helmet has a Bluetooth-enabled app that lets the rider know when it requires cleaning. The venture was launched when the startup founders realised the challenges faced by bikers during the air quality crisis in Delhi in winter.

“We were disturbed by the health impacts of the air quality situation on the people on the roads, especially the two-wheeler riders who have prolonged daily exposures and that too, to particulate matter and vehicular emissions that they breathe,” said Amit Pathak, one of the founders.