Aurangabad Teen Develops Ignition System That Won’t Allow Rider to Turn on Bike Without Helmet

In 2015, as many as 1,46,133 people were killed in India due to road accidents. Such incredibly high numbers can be brought down by following simple road safety rules, but people still tend to flout them; especially the law requiring people to wear a helmet while riding.

But one 18-year-old student in Aurangabad wants to ensure that no one will be able to ride a bike unless they wear a helmet.

He has designed a special wireless ignition system that only starts when the bike’s rider is wearing a helmet.

Image for representation. Photo source: Wikimedia

Rohit Pataskar decided to design a fail-safe helmet when he witnessed a fatal road accident recently where the rider hadn’t been wearing his helmet. The two-part ignition system has an infrared transmitter fitted in a helmet and an infrared receiver fitted near the ignition. If the helmet has been taken off for more than 15 seconds, it sounds a beep and the ignition switches off. It’s that simple.

Explaining his ingenious design to the  Times of India, Rohit notes, “The transmitter operates on a battery similar to what we use in wall clocks. It is switched on by the pressure exerted on a button located in the helmet when the rider puts it on. This emits a signal captured by the receiver. A relay connecting the receiver and the ignition system ensures that the engine turns on or off.”

Rohit, a student of Indo-German Tool Room (IGTR), spent only ₹300 to put together his ignition system and it took him more than 150 attempts to get everything just right.

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While his system is not yet for sale, Rohit demonstrated it to Aurangabad police commissioner Amitesh Kumar. Impressed, Kumar has since noted that efforts ought to be made to take the project forward.

If only so lives could be saved in the future.

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