Your bike won't move an inch unless you wear this helmet

Kesari built the prototype in 2021 with the help of his three friends.

The bike will not move unless you wear this smart helmet. Aimed at preventing bike theft and accidents, a Patna startup launched these smart helmets last week. Once you connect your vehicle with the device accompanying this helmet, the bike will not move unless you wear it.

For 20-year-old RK Kesari, founder of Takeward Innovation, the idea to develop this helmet came after a tragic event. A few years ago, Kesari lost a friend who was coming to meet him on a bike without wearing a helmet and met with an accident. This deeply shook Kesari who is now a third-year engineering student at Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering and Technology. His father owns a stationery shop in Patna.

“I realised so many people lose their lives like this. And then slowly this idea began to form in my head,” Kesari told Moneycontrol.

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According to a report by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, 46,593 persons who were not wearing helmets were killed in road accidents in 2022. Of these, 32,877 were drivers and 13,716 were passengers.

Kesari built the prototype in 2021 with the help of his three friends Yash Kesari, Priya Singh and Roshni Bharti. However, they began selling the helmets online only last week. Kesari owns 70 percent of the company.

The helmets come in various designs and colours. The price ranges between Rs 1,600 and Rs 1,900. It has ABS-100 solar inverter battery. “Each helmet comes with a smart kit which comprises a device which has to be installed in the bike. In normal mode, you can use it like a normal helmet and in automatic mode you have to wear the helmet to start the vehicle. Only then will the vehicle start,” he said.

According to Kesari, a charging point is also provided in the helmet. Once charged, the battery lasts for at least 15 days.

He said the helmet will not be impacted even if a car runs over it. Kesari said he had uploaded a video of the helmets on YouTube and Facebook. “There were 6 crore views in two days. We sold 25 pieces on the first day and 786 pieces on the second day. Seeing the viral video, we were approached by the Bihar government which has promised to provide us funding,” he said.