A Delhi-based startup has developed an anti-pollution helmet that can help a two-wheeler rider breathe cleaner air by filtering it.

The helmet, named ‘PUROS’, is the brainchild of a startup called ‘Shellios Technolabs’ and has an air-purifying system attached to the rear of the helmet.

With the help of a Brushless DC (BLDC) blower fan, High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter membrane, and an electronic circuit, the purifying system sucks the air from outside and filters it before it reaches the rider. The helmet also comes with a micro-USB charging port and a Bluetooth-enabled app that lets the rider know when the helmet requires cleaning.

“We were disturbed by the health impacts of the air quality situation on the people on the roads, especially the millions of two wheeler riders who were having prolonged daily exposures and that too, to a double whammy of particulate matter and vehicular emissions in the air that they breathe,” said Amit Pathak, one of the founders of the startup, was quoted in a release as saying.

The startup has received funding from the Ministry of Science and Technology and Technology Entrepreneur Park (JSSATE-STEP) Noida. The helmet has been granted a utility patent. It is sold across the country at a price of Rs 4,500.

The company claims that the helmet, which weighs over 1.5 kg, fulfills all mandatory standards and reduces the exposure to polluted air by 80 per cent.

For the next version, Shellios has tied up with top tier-2-wheeler OEM for the commerciliazation of the anti-pollution helmet, the release added. The founders of the startup hit upon the idea on realizing the challenges faced by bikers during the air quality crisis that Delhi faces in the winter months.

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