Quirky innovation: Without helmet this bike doesn’t start

Lucknow: A student from Agra has invented a technology that will not allow a bike to start unless the rider wears a helmet.

The engine will get automatically shut if the helmet is removed during the ride.

This innovation impressed UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav so much that he not only gave the boy, Himanshu Garg, a cash reward of ' 5 lakh, but also set up an ‘Innovation Fund’ to encourage talented youths and students in the state. He further said that the state government will extend all cooperation and help talented youth so that their talent benefits the country and the society.

Himanshu Garg, an engineering student form Agra, gave a demonstration of his newly developed technology at the Chief Minister’s residence and said that this could save millions of lives every year.

Himanshu has fitted a device in the helmet which connects with the ignition system in the bike’s engine and as soon as the helmet is strapped, the ignition begins working. But when the strap is removed, the ignition turns off. The device has a micro solar panel that keeps it charged.

The price of the helmet, once the prototype is finalized and ready for commercial use will be higher than that of regular ones.

For Himanshu, it is not his first experiment with practical science. The student said that he had earlier developed a technology that could prevent train collisions by bringing a train to a halt at a 300 meter distance of each other if they were on the same track. He said he had been felicitated by former railway minister Mamta Banerjee.