HÖVDING
PRODUCT, 2005
ANNA HAUPT AND TERESE ALSTIN (SE)
Hövding is a revolutionary bicycle helmet, an airbag for cyclists. The idea of developing a new type of bicycle helmet was a response to the introduction of a law on mandatory helmet use for children up to the age of fifteen in Sweden. This law triggered a debate on whether bicycle helmets should be mandatory for adults too. Designers Anna Haupt and Terese Alstin decided to produce a bicycle helmet that people would be happy to put on.
It is not only one of the safest helmets on the market, Hövding is also a discreet chameleon. Its changeable shell means that it can easily match your outfit. Unlike other bicycle helmets, you don’t wear Hövding on your head. You wear it as a collar around your neck. The collar contains an airbag that inflates and protects your head if you have a cycling accident. The inflation is controlled by sensors that register abnormal movement if a cyclist has an accident. Hövding has been shown by tests to be the best shock absorbance capacity of any bicycle helmet worldwide and is also a practical, discreet accessory that is easy to take with you.
BIO:
Hövding started out in 2005 as a master’s thesis by the two founders Anna Haupt and Terese Alstin, who, at the time, were studying Industrial Design at the University of Lund. Anna and Terese’s project resulted in the concept of an airbag helmet, which won Innovationsbron’s Ideas Grant. This kick-started the process of developing Hövding into a real product. In 2006, Hövding won the Venture Cup, after which Hövding Sweden AB was founded. Today Hövding consists of twenty people, each with their own unique expertise, different backgrounds and personalities, inspired by each other and working closely together. They see the impossible as a trigger and curiosity as a virtue. Anna Haupt left the company in December 2014 and Terese Alstin left in February 2015.