Connected helmets: a solution that doesn’t give you a headache

An essential piece of equipment on construction sites, head protection now comes with built-in sensors that can alert a worker to the presence of toxic gas emissions. In other words, multi-gas detectors—once clipped to a jacket or pants pocket (with the risk of falling off, getting torn away, or sensor damage)—are now fully integrated into the helmet.

This system helps in two major ways: first, it reduces the risk of forgetting the sensors (a worker is much less likely to forget their helmet than a pocket-sized device), and second, the helmet provides added protection for the sensors themselves.

Some helmets even include built-in glasses or visors that display information via augmented reality.

Of course, these very useful technological advances are combined with existing helmet features—such as helmets equipped with frequency-filtering hearing protection. This allows workers to clearly hear instructions from a site supervisor or control tower through the helmet, even while a jackhammer is operating just five meters away or an airplane is taking off nearby on the tarmac.

What once seemed like a sci-fi gadget from an ’80s movie is now becoming a real-life tool for a growing number of workers on construction sites.