Object details
| Designer / Studio | Jeff Woolf OBE and Strategic Sports |
| Brand | Woolf Helmets, United Kingdom |
| Award | EPDA 2026 Top Design, Bikes: Accessories and Outdoor Activities: Biking; Winner, Helmets and Headgear |
| Explore the design | woolfhelmets.com |
A conventional bike helmet is a rigid shell that is awkward to carry. For anyone using a shared bike or scooter on impulse, that bulk is usually reason enough to ride without one.
The Woolf One, developed by inventor Jeff Woolf OBE with Strategic Sports, attacks that problem directly. The helmet folds flat in under half a second, small enough to travel with its owner rather than stay at home. It received Top Design distinctions in two bike and outdoor categories at the 2026 European Product Design Award.
Folding is only the first layer. The helmet carries running lights, brake lights and turn indicators that trigger automatically when the rider tilts their head. Signalling becomes a natural movement rather than a hand taken off the bars.
Protection is extended too. Woolf’s patented ERT system is designed to address rotational and low-impact injuries, which standard EPS foam alone does not cover. If a crash leaves the rider unresponsive, the helmet can alert up to three emergency contacts with their location.
Woolf Helmets describes the product as the result of more than fifteen years of research, engineering and design. What reaches the rider is simpler than that history suggests: a helmet that fits in a bag and does more once it is on.
The Woolf One understands that safety equipment only works when people actually bring it.
View Woolf One on the European Product Design Award winner’s page →
Image: Woolf Helmets.
