Life Helmet

Life Helmet is concept art for a wearable refuge. It gives instant shelter in the moments when what is socially required of you and what you actually feel come into conflict.

When the wearer pulls a trigger, CO2 fills the tubes and the helmet inflates around the head, the way a life raft opens. Inside it, the wearer can leave a frustrating situation completely, both visually and audibly. In the concept, the helmet also holds a speaker and a display that respond to the wearer’s brain waves and play back whatever the moment calls for.

Sellotape, microcontroller, optical fiber, 0.3m x 0.3m x 0.3m

Sketches

How the helmet inflates, from a thin band worn around the neck to the full form that covers the eyes and ears.

Part of the research behind the light was an Engadget article from the time, “LED implants could ease your pain,” about implanted LEDs that switch off pain signals: the idea that relief might one day be a matter of flicking on a light.