What Can You Learn from the Innovation Story of Hovding: the 1st Invisible Bicycle Helmet?

What began as a simple idea tof two students in Sweden eventually took off globally as an invisible bicycle helmet. Holding started in 2005 and ithe revolutionary product is sold now in over 15 markets. There are at least 3 important lessons learned from its troublesome start.

Statistics show that in Sweden cycling accidents cause about 40 deaths and about 30,000 injuries each year. One-third of cyclists involved in an accident sustain injuries to the head. A law requiring children under 15 years old to wear bicycle helmets was introduced by Sweden in 2005. The new law sparked a heated debate on whether mandatory helmet use should be extended to include adults as well.

In 2005, two students at Lund University in Sweden, Anna Haupt and Terese Alstin, were working together on a joint master’s thesis in industrial design to complete their studies at the Faculty of Engineering.  The prospect of being forced by law to wear a bicycle helmet was cause for concern. This was particularly true for people like Anna and Terese who say they wouldn’t “be caught dead wearing a polystyrene helmet.” As they explained it, “Producing a bicycle helmet that people would be happy to wear looked like a much better way to go than legislation forcing people to wear one or else.” They realized that their industrial design master’s thesis would be the perfect platform to study how to improve the traditional bicycle helmet.

 Their first step was to survey people on the street asking why so few people wore bicycle helmets. The long list of reasons they were given included the following: ‘They’re a pain to carry about’, ‘They all look hideous’, ‘They ruin your hair’, ‘Nobody else wears them’, and ‘You can’t get your hat on underneath’. Some sounded reasonable enough, while others were simply flimsy excuses. The message was clear; bicycle helmets were controversial. One way or another, everyone had a strong opinion about wearing a helmet. For many people who cycle, they experience a sense of freedom on the road. Although most people know the traffic risks, they still aren’t persuaded to wear a helmet. Basically, people want to protect their heads from injury in an accident, but draw a line about what is acceptable to wear. Based on these findings, Anna and Terese concluded that it wasn’t the cyclists who needed to change; it was the product that needed to change.

Secondly, the survey asked people to describe the ideal bicycle helmet of the future. Some of the responses given were:

• ‘Like a cool hat with a built-in helmet’
• ‘Something small that you can fold up and put in your pocket’
• ‘Something that lets you change what it looks like, like you can with mobile phone skins or wigs’
• ‘Invisible’

Anna and Terese realized they were on to something the moment they saw the word “invisible”. This was what the world was waiting for: “An invisible bicycle helmet. That wouldn’t ruin your hair.”

What started out as a graduation project resulted in a new-to-the-world concept. They named their airbag helmet H?vding, which is Swedish for chieftain. Their new concept was awarded the Innovationsbron's Ideas Grant, which kick-started the process of developing H?vding into a real product. H?vding won the Venture Cup the following year in 2006, after which H?vding Sweden AB was founded.

H?vding is a collar that cyclists can wear discreetly around their necks. An airbag is folded into the collar and is not visible until the event of a crash. It’s manufactured in collaboration with the airbag manufacturer Alva Sweden, and includes equally clever high-tech devices found in automobile airbags. The collar contains motion sensors that are tuned specifically to changes in momentum that are characteristic of a cycling accident. The sensors are charged via a USB cable and last for approximately 18 hours. The airbag can only be activated when the collar is put on, zipped up and the On-Off button fastened. When H?vding detects an impending crash, helium from a cartridge inflates the hood before the head makes contact with the windshield or asphalt. It stays inflated for a few seconds in case of multiple impacts during the same accident.

Anna and Terese pointed to tests that demonstrated that traditional plastic and foam bicycle helmets allow for high G-forces leading to an alarmingly high percentage of fatalities in accidents. Their breakthrough design – a motion-triggered inflatable helmet – shields a much greater portion of the head and neck, and provides a softer landing.

In 2012 the Swedish insurance company Folksam tested 13 bicycle helmets on the market. They carried out an impact test on the same principles for CE marking but with a higher impact speed, 25 km/h instead of 20 km/h. All the traditional helmets reached G-force values ranging from 196 to 294G. The lower the value, the better the helmet’s ability to protect the cyclist’s head. H?vding achieved 65G, providing at least three times better shock absorption than the other helmets.

The development of the H?vding required seven years from idea to market launch.  After seven years and €13 million in funding, sales of H?vding started in November 2011 at a recommended retail price of SEK 3,998 including VAT (about $475). H?vding was first available at the DesignTorget’s stores in Sweden and Norway and via the H?vding website. In November 2011, H?vding held a fashion show to celebrate the sales launch and world premiere. 

Sales figures remain confidential. Although in 2014, the company reported that the invention is equally used by both sexes and that it expected to become profitable within two years’ time.

On June 8, 2015 H?vding signed a strategic development and production agreement with the Japanese company Nihon Plast, one of the leading airbag manufacturers. Nihon Plast will support their product development while providing production capacity to meet the increasing demand. Two years ago, H?vding was launched internationally and it is now available in 15 markets in Europe and Japan. H?vding's products are sold in over 400 stores. In Sweden alone, H?vding's products can be found in more than 70 stores. The company has 20 employees in Malm?. Since June 16, 2015, H?vding has a listing on Nasdaq First North in Stockholm.

Anna Haupt left the company in December 2014 and Terese Alstin left in February 2015.

There are many lesons learned from the start of Hovding. I like to emphasise the following three:

1. Start with a relevant customer friction.
2. Embrace a crazy revolutionary idea.
3. Persist, persist and persist.

 I wish you lots of success on your innovation journeys.

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Sources: https://www.hovding.com/pdf/hovding_once_upon_a_time_en.pdf. https://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20140626-no-helmet-no-problem. Business Week, An "Invisible" Bike Helmet From Sweden, Venessa Wong, April 26, 2012. Wikipedia. The Guardian, The H?vding collar: the cycle helmet that's more airbag than skid lid, May 18, 2014. De Zeen Magazine, February 1, 2011.