Class 11 student creates `smart helmet` that controls bike`s ignition

Khilesh Devagan lost his uncle in a bike-related accident. It made him ponder about ways to ensure those on two-wheelers always wear helmets when out and about.

Necessity is the mother of all inventions and for Khilesh Devagan, there was no greater necessity than to see all riders on two-wheelers in his small town in Chhatisgarh wear proper safety gear on the road. The result? A smart helmet!

A student of Class 11 of JRD School in Chhatisgarh's Durg, Devagan devised a special helmet that controls when a two-wheeler would start. If the helmet if not on the head of the rider in a proper manner, the bike he or she is on just won't start. The creative and ingenious way of making riders wear a life-saving equipment was devised by simply putting a transmitter on the helmet and a receiver on the two-wheeler.

Devagan's invention has earned him a lot of praise from friends, school authorities and local administrative bodies. For the student though, it is all about promoting road safety. "No one should be on a bike without wearing a helmet, any helmet. Road accidents have become increasingly common everywhere. I thought about the best way to make people aware of road safety and that is when the idea for a smart helmet came to me," he says.

A personal tragedy also led the student to come up with his invention after his uncle- father's brother - lost his life in a road accident. The tragedy could have been prevented had he been wearing a helmet.

For now, Devagan is pleased with the applause he is receiving for his special helmet and intends to file a patent claim.