{
  "id": 13375471,
  "title": "How This Tiny Startup Built the World’s Safest Bike Helmet",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/10/how-this-tiny-startup-built-the-worlds-safest-bike-helmet",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-10T09:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Wired",
    "slug": "wired",
    "url": "https://www.wired.com/story/how-this-tiny-startup-pikio-built-the-worlds-safest-bike-helmet/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In 2007, the cycling industry embraced a multidirectional impact protection system (MIPS) to improve bike helmet safety. Simultaneously, Virginia Tech took helmet safety to new heights by introducing helmet STAR ratings, testing helmets beyond the legal minimum and measuring both linear and rotational impacts. Only four of the first 30 helmets received five stars, but by 2025, 167 of 272 had achieved this top rating. This competition spurred innovation and elevated helmet technology.\n\nOne of the standout helmets is the Pikio Si Oblik road cycling helmet, developed by Vancouver-based startup Pikio. The Oblik safety system is inspired by the headbanging, concussion-proof woodpecker. It uses a new design with independently mounted sections of foam, allowing them to move separately or detach upon impact. Dual-density foam also helps absorb direct impact. This unique structure minimizes the twisting force transmitted to the head, reducing rotational forces during impacts.\n\nPikio's founder, Daniel Abram, attributes their success to 18 years of research in impact protection and helmet design. After earning a mechanical engineering degree, Abram worked in helmet research at Simon Fraser University and later founded BiaGuard. MIPS paid $1 million for the patents and intellectual property of his BrainShield system in 2022.\n\nThe Pikio Si Oblik features 80 individual components, compared to the standard eight to 10 parts in most helmets. This complex manufacturing process, while resulting in a higher cost, provides superior protection. The helmet, priced at $379, is more expensive than the second-best STAR-tested Canyon Deflectr RLS by $219. Despite being relatively expensive, the Pikio helmet boasts a lighter weight (279 grams) and excellent comfort features, such as 17 air vents for ventilation.\n\nIn real-world tests, the Pikio helmet has proven its effectiveness, with only four helmets returned for replacement. The company offers a 30 percent discount on replacements, emphasizing the helmet's reliability in protecting riders' heads. While the Pikio Si Oblik may lack the cool aesthetics of some competitors like POC or Giro, its focus on function over form sets it apart as a top-rated helmet in the cycling industry.",
  "summary": "Inspired by head-banging woodpeckers, Vancouver-based Pikio Labs has discovered a new approach to skull protection.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}