Cellutech, a Swedish company that develops cutting edge new materials and technology based on wood, recently unveiled the prototype of a bicycle helmet made entirely of wood. The project was a part of Ekoportal2035, a vision of a biobased future, created by Skogsindustrierna. Cellutech teamed up with designer Rasmus Malbert from the design studio Materialist, to create this beautiful, futuristic and absolutely 'green' bicycle helmet...

Rasmus and co-designer Jesper Jonsson designed and constructed the helmet using different types of cellulose materials. The outer shell of the helmet is made of wood veneer and the strap of durable paper. The inside cushioning is made of Cellufoam™.

Cellufoam™ is a new and unique material made of nanocellulose produced from wood pulp and is therefore both renewable and biodegradable. The properties of Cellufoam™ are suitable for use in lightweight construction, packaging materials and absorbent products. The idea of the foam comes from a research group within the Wallenberg Wood Science Center (WWSC) and has been further developed by Cellutech. "The collaboration with Cellutech makes it possible to commercialize the new materials we develop within WWSC and bring them closer to the market," explains Lars Wågberg, Professor at the Royal Institute of Technology.

The bicycle helmet is the first example of how Cellufoam™ can be used. Work is now in progress to find more applications that are suitable. There is currently an increasing need for renewable and biodegradable foam materials that can replace plastic foams. "We have shown that with new innovations and good cooperation with university research it is possible to use forest raw materials to produce foam materials, which is something we are very proud of," commented Åsa Ek, Development Manager at Cellutech.

Rasmus runs the design studio Materialist, developing materials through design processes, combined with creative craftsmanship. The studio's special focus is the material innovations of the forest industry  and how they can be taken from lab to reality through prototyping and "future leaps".

"The opportunity to work together with Cellutech has been incredibly interesting as it involved a creative journey for both me and the company," said Rasmus Malbert. "I feel that together we developed the material Cellufoam™ forward and I'm proud to show our result to the rest of the world. I think there is an incredibly strong potential in this material, we are just at the beginning of an exciting trend where more and more petroleum-based materials are replaced with renewable alternatives."

* Images © Rasmus Malbert