Could scallop shells protect our heads as well as their soft bodies? I don't know if they asked it precisely in these terms, but a bizarre question like this must have been the basis of the intuition that led Japanese designers to create Shellmet, an innovative helmet composed (in part) of shells.
Shellmet is the product of a collaboration between the chemical industry Koushi and Sarufutsu Village, a water town that produces about 200.000 tons of seashell waste every year. While they have potential applications, these remains are often left to decompose into foul-smelling mounds.
A shell will protect us
Developed by professor Hiroshi Uyama of Osaka University, the production process of the bioplastic called “Shellstic” begins with the sterilization and boiling of the shells. Each shell is then pulverized into calcium carbonate, which is finally mixed with recycled plastic pellets: a mold, the shape of a helmet, fine. I should have shown you the video first.
When the “shell bioplastic” has cooled and hardened, what remains is a helmet with a truly distinctive design. What does it remind you of? It's not just an aesthetic tribute, however: this design makes the helmet 33% more resistant than traditional ones, and the production process generates 36% fewer emissions.
Collect, recycle, reuse
Time to obtain certification for safety standards and the workers of Sarufutsu will have the fruit of their recycling work: Shellmet will be the shell, pardon, the helmet they will have with them starting from next spring. And not only that, it will also be available to all those who want to have one.
In a fit of enthusiasm everything Japanese (albeit premature), Shellmet is even already on presale (5 colors and 4800 yen price, about 36 euros). Because the head is precious: like a pearl. Banzai!