POC adds Powerfoyle solar-power tech to bike helmet

The folks at POC revealed a new sort of bike helmet this week – one with a solar panel. This new bicycle helmet has a red light at its base (at the back) and obtains power from the sun's friendly rays. This is only the latest in a collection of collaborations between POC and companies that bring advanced tech to the classic helmet line.

POC worked with the folks at Exeger to make this particular helmet ready for the market. The design of the helmet is all POC, while the Powerfoyle is all Exeger. Exeger Powerfoyle is a nanomaterial that's capable of capturing natural and artificial light. That light is turned to energy that can be used for the helmet's tech.

The POC Omne Eternal's rear light is always on, so long as it's powered. According to POC, this helmet needs one single hour of light per day "to remain robustly charged." So you'll basically have a flashing red light blinking 24 hours a day, so long as the helmet was within range of light (any light at all, apparently), for a fraction of your day.

This new helmet will be available in parts of Europe first. The company has not yet revealed any information about a release inside the United States. The price for this helmet will be approximately €250 (Euro) at launch.

OF NOTE: Powerfoyle will be employed in helmets (at least one helmet), headphones, and "protective gear for workplaces" according to Exeger. "We are moving toward a future where even things that have not been powered before will be both connected and made smarter." Powerfoyle has also collaborated with ABB for manufacturing and SoftBank (as a sort of partnership/investment situation).

POC teamed with Ericsson and Volvo back in December of 2014 to create a connected helmet. Back then, it was more about connecting to the app Strava.