User and Market Research & Industrial Design
May, 2025
Halos O2Fold is a helmet designed for urban commuters, featuring a foldable frame and inflatable top. By collapsing the structure and releasing air, it compresses into a compact carry-on essential. It reduces the bulk of traditional helmets, making daily head protection more portable and accessible.
More rides, more risks,
and more unprotected heads.
E-bike and e-scooter use has skyrocketed over the past decade, but safety habits haven’t kept pace. Head injuries now account for 1 in 4 crashes, and fewer than 50% of riders wear protection.
Hard to bring, harder to keep.
Traditional helmet never fits the flow — before or after the ride.
(User Research Conclusion)
Pain points of current helmet.
Brand Mission
Halos define a new standard in head protection: low-burden to carry, high-confidence in impact.
Always with you.
Folds small,
goes everywhere.
The deflatable top and collapsible titanium frame compress the helmet down to a fraction of its size, so it always fits into your bag—no matter the journey.
Ready in just 5 steps.
Take it out, unfold, inflate, wear, and tighten. That’s all it takes to get secure and ready for your ride.
Air armor
reinforces every ride.
A mini pump delivers 120 psi to the top, forming a cushioned barrier. After the titanium ring absorbs the main impact, the air-filled top shields the rest.
Reflective material that speaks in light.
Both the inflatable top and the orange halo use light-reactive materials that reflect headlights and ambient light, enhancing rider visibility and safety in low-light conditions.
Sunlight comes, clarity stays.
The visor uses light responsive lense that adjust tint based on surrounding light, darkening under sunlight and returning to full clarity at night to support clear and safe vision.
Your strap, your color, your style.
The helmet strap connects securely using magnets and a dovetail joint system, locking into place during wear. Users can easily detach the strap for cleaning or swap in a new color to match personal style.
Working Processes
An iteration process
accelerated by AI.
Throughout the project, AI supported each stage of exploration, from quick early sketches to pattern testing and refinement.
It didn’t replace decisions but amplified them, helping me iterate faster, explore more directions, and reach clarity with less time cost
While using AI to push the project forward, I continued sketchingto help the AI understand the shape I intended. I realized that sketching remained the fastest and clearest way to communicate the helmet’s functions and mechanics.
Final Prototype
Final prototype focuses on confirming the final form, color decisions, and overall head fit, serving as a model to validate appearance and ergonomics.
Three+ tones, three+ identities.
From soft urban neutrals to bold visibility accents, each color balances expression and function. Swappable straps make color personalization even easier.
Safety that moves with your rhythm.
O₂Fold slips easily into your bag when the ride is over, then pops into shape again in just a few seconds. It makes protection feel like part of your routine, not an interruption to it.
Built for the future of urban motion.
O₂Fold redefines safety for a generation that values portability and strength, compact to carry, solid when worn, and built to protect tomorrow’s riders.
