Project -Neith
Type
Product Design /
Smart Textiles
Year
2024
Context
2024SS Project | Smart Textiles Galore
Smart Protective Rescue Helmet
A life-saving wearable that combines smart textiles, inflatable protection, and real-time pulse monitoring to enhance rescue efficiency in earthquake disaster scenarios.
Summary Box｜Key Highlights
Design Challenge
In disaster scenarios, rescuers face extreme difficulty locating survivors and assessing their vital conditions under debris.
Design Solution
A smart protective helmet that integrates inflatable airbag protection with real-time heartbeat transmission.
Impact & Value
Transforms passive safety gear into an active rescue communication system, increasing survival chances in time-critical environments.
Story Overview
In disaster scenarios, survival is often a race against time.
Traditional rescue operations face major challenges in locating trapped survivors and assessing their vital conditions under debris.
Neith was designed to respond to this critical gap.
Rather than functioning only as protective headgear, it acts as a communication bridge between survivors and rescue teams, transforming passive protection into proactive rescue support through smart textile technology
VIDEO
Click to play the introductory video
(this video only has German subtitles)
Design Thinking & Process
Name Origin – “Neith”
The name Neith is inspired by the ancient Egyptian goddess associated with weaving and protection.
This reference reflects the project’s core focus on textile-based defense and the role of fabric as both a protective and functional system.
Inspiration & Form
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Concept
Inspired by ancient warrior helmets and Japanese samurai armor, Neith reinterprets the idea of “defense” through modern functional fashion and smart materials.
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Form
The design balances the visual strength of protective armor with the flexibility of contemporary smart textiles, creating a helmet that feels both resilient and wearable.
Smart Protection – The Airbag System
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Material
TPU-coated, heat-sealable Nylon (Sandtex 450 g/sqm) for durability and impact resistance.
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Mechanism
Integrated CO₂ cylinders allow the helmet to rapidly inflate into an airbag-like structure, providing crucial head protection during aftershocks or structural collapse.
Vital Signaling – Heartbeat Sensing
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Technology
Embedded pulse sensors connected to a signaling module via ThingSpeak.
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Logic
Once activated, the system transmits the wearer’s heartbeat every five seconds, enabling rescue teams to estimate survivor presence and approximate locations through digital monitoring tools.
"Neith" in Inflated State
Heartbeat sensing element and signal transmitting element
"Neith" in Uninflated State
"Neith" in Stored State
"Neith" can be stored in a carrying bag, placed in escape areas.
Outcome & Reflection
Neith demonstrates how smart textiles can evolve from experimental materials into life-saving systems.
By integrating protective fabrics with sensing technology, the project explores how design can improve survival chances in extreme conditions.
Future iterations could incorporate conductive elastic fibers (Electro-Yarn) and LED-wire systems to provide visual guidance in dark, hazardous environments.