Smart Helmet Developed By Odisha Student Ignites Hope Of Safer Roads Ahead

By Samir Kumar Acharya

Berhampur: Kumar Amit still remembers the day when he lost his father in a fatal road accident. Back in 2023, Amit's father was on his way to a hospital on a two-wheeler for regular check-up but fate had something else in store as he died in a road mishap.

Amit, a Class IX student of Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya, Shergarh in Ganjam district distinctly remembers the day and also that his father would have been alive had he worn a helmet. The day must have been the toughest for Amit but it strengthened his resolve to contribute his bit for road safety.

Hard work and a firm resolve led Amit to design a 'smart helmet' for the safety of bikers. The helmet is designed in such manner that if a biker does not wear it, his/her two-wheeler won't start.

Kumar Amit explains the functionality of the smart helmet at his school (ETV Bharat)

Amit said said he designed the helmet using Artificial Intelligence (AI). "I used transistors, receivers and batteries to design the helmet. If the transistor fitted in the helmet does not come in contact with the rider's head, the ignition of the two-wheeler would not turn up," explained the youngster.

One of the most interesting features of the device is that it can be fitted to a normal helmet using Adruino and Uno. Arduino is an Italian open-source hardware and software company owned by Qualcomm project, and user community that designs and manufactures single-board microcontrollers and microcontroller kits for building digital devices. Uno is a thinking machine that can automate enterprise tasks.

Details of Kumar Amit's project (ETV Bharat)

What's even better is that if the rider wearing the helmet meets with an helmet, a message is sent to his/her family or relatives.

Amit's mother Sigma Patnaik said she is proud of her son who despite his father's loss decided to do something for riders' safety. "The government can improve Amit's project for the benefit of motorists," she said. Mahendra Kumar Sahu, a teacher from Berhampur, said he was amazed by the innovative acumen of the youngster.

Anshuman Panda, a student of Odisha Adarsha Vidyalaya, Golia in Ganjam too has come up with the idea of a similar helmet for safety of riders.

As per data, around 11 per cent of deaths in the country are caused by road accidents of which 46 per cent involve two-wheelers. It is common for riders to carry a helmet while riding and wear it when they approach a traffic police personnel. It is also common for riders to not wear helmets for short rides.

In such circumstances, Amit's smart helmet can prove to be a life saver for riders. The helmet which also has GPS attached to it makes it easier to trace a rider involved in a mishap. Road safety is as much a responsibility for the government as riders. With youngsters like Amit taking the lead in road safety, one can hope for a decline in number of mishaps in future.

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