Not only the number of people who enjoy riding the motorcycle in their leisure time, but also the number of delivery workers has been rising rapidly in the past years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the overall number of traffic accidents is decreasing, we can thus observe a rising number of motorcycle accidents. In 2019, Europe alone has counted over 23’000 injuries caused by motorcycle accidents, as well as 422 fatalities.

The Wearable Airbag for Motorcyclists is designed to protect a rider from injuries and prevent fatalities occurring in a motorcycle accident. The current model M2 is based not on a sensor technology, but on a mechanical inflation system, meaning that the rider is connected to the motorcycle through a lanyard. At the end of the safety-strap, on the side that is connected to the rider, there is a small key ball. When an accident occurs, the safety-strap is stretched as the rider is thrown from the motorcycle, leading the key ball to be pulled out from the vest. This in turn inflates the airbag within 0.2 seconds. The airbag protects the main body parts such as the neck, spine and chest area.

While a sensor technology based airbag is expected to be released in the future, the current mechanical inflation system has two important advantages: it is less costly, and there is no risk of sensor errors or running out of battery, making it both more reliable and more affordable – so that anyone can stay safe, anytime!