Developing a Wearable Turbine-Based Energy Harvesting System for the Motorcycle Helmet Application

This study investigated the feasibility of a wearable wind energy-harvesting system integrated into a motorcycle helmet that converts riding-induced airflow into storable electrical energy. A compact horizontal-axis turbine-based system was designed and optimized through staged experiments focusing on generator selection, housing geometry, rotor configuration, and circuit-connected performance. A medium-scale generator, diffuser-type housing (Hd), and eight-blade pinwheel rotor (Rb) were identified as the most suitable combination for helmet-scale integration. The final prototype incorporated two side-mounted turbine modules, a crown-mounted harvesting–boost circuit, and a detachable rechargeable battery pack within a full-face helmet platform. In a field-based riding experiment, the prototype produced mean outputs of 3.99 V, 39.51 mA, and 157.64 mW at 30 km/h; 4.43 V, 43.48 mA, and 192.61 mW at 40 km/h; and 5.45 V, 53.53 mA, and 291.73 mW at 50 km/h. A static wearability evaluation with six participants indicated no obvious discomfort under a quasi-riding posture. These findings support the practical feasibility of helmet-integrated wind energy harvesting as an auxiliary power source for low-power wearable electronics, while highlighting the need for future studies on aerodynamic validation, dynamic wearability, acoustic burden, and safety-oriented structural refinement.