Smart thinking from battered bike fan

This story first appeared in the October issue of EVtalk – CLICK HERE to download the magazine FREE

How many great ideas come to people by accident?

Brian Zheng had one of those moments when he fell off his bike in New Zealand while trying to pull his phone out of his pocket.

Recovering from a broken arm, he came up with the idea of a helmet phone so no other rider would have to go through what he did.

Zheng, a Wuhan University graduate majoring in scientific and technical information and management and a Massey University MBA graduate (the reason he was in New Zealand), founded smart helmet company Livall.

The first smart and safe cycling helmet developed and designed independently by Livall was a big hit at the 2015 Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin (IFA) trade show in Germany.

It was the same story at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) show in the United States in 2016 and the smart helmet was soon attracting media attention.

Livall recently won a Smart Sports Device Innovation award at IFA 2017, just days after scooping up another award at the Eurobike 2017 show.

The company has established a European office in Berlin, New Zealand and Australia subsidiaries based in Auckland and a US subsidiary in San Francisco.

It is now reaching 65 countries and regions worldwide.
The latest award-winning BH51M helmet phone follows others in the line and features smart lights (including indicators), hands-free calling, the ability to listen to music and an SOS alert function that sends an automatic message to an emergency contact in the event the rider is knocked unconscious.

The helmet phone is paired to a smartphone via Bluetooth and is controlled through a button device attached to the handle bar. A combined phone holder and charger is among its accessories.

Livall (NZ) Sports Tech opened in New Zealand about a year ago, with Sanchit Mittal the first employee as sales and business development manager, based at Dairy Flat in north Auckland.
Electric bike retailer Bikes and Barbers has been testing the helmets for about two years.

Mittal, responsible for Australian and New Zealand markets, says Livall is getting a very positive response from both.

“My main motto is to connect Livall helmets not only to people who ride bicycles but also to the people who use their four-wheelers for commuting.”

Twelve different types of helmets are available for children and adults. They are suitable for road bikes, e-bikes, mountain bikes, off-road motorcycles, quads and more.

Prices range from $199 to $300.

Go to livall.com or email sanchit@livall.com for more information.