It could potentially save you from eating your wheaties thru a straw the rest of your life....does look like your helmet has a tumor growing on it though. YouTube link YouTube - APC Airbag Helmet Some folks might remember the Hit Air jacket thread I posted a few years ago. This would offer some neck protection, and not look as funky....then again, looking good (as in less gear) never saved anyone's life... YouTube - Hit Air Airbag jacket: How tos hit-air
WOW...thats some pretty interesting footage. that last one where it gets absolutely creamed is scary to watch... but it looks like a good concept.
Where do the sensors go? Air bag suits clip to your bike. I think they deploy when you separate from the machine. Does the helmet have accelerometers? I love the technology. It should be available, but the price will never come down with the size of our market.
It says that a control box is fitted to the bike and handles all of the stimuli received from the outside. Read more from their website. I wonder how much more it weighs than a normal helmet? Hmmm.... APC helmets - Primer casco con AIRBAG. Seguridad y tecnología The APC consists of an airbag incorporated into a standard crash helmet which functions as an active safety system. With the APC, levels of protection for riders are increased in the case of a dangerous collision. The design of the APC is based on criteria of comfort and safety for riders. The installation, maintenance, communication with the user and the accident detection system have been designed so riders are not forced to carry out complex, tedious actions to guarantee their level of protection at all times. A very small, simple control box fitted to the motorbike’s crash helmet holder or under the seat is responsible for handling all the stimuli received from the outside. Depending on the result obtained, the crash helmet will receive the order to inflate, so, in less than 0,15 seconds, the rider’s safety levels will be increased. All this is carried out without cables or other physical elements linking the rider to the motorbike. In the picture you can see the APC control box and crash helmet, the only two elements making up and completing the product. The bag unfolds around the neck and the back, going slightly beyond the seventh vertebra. This design pursues the objective of improving the stabilisation of the neck during the accident and absorbing possible impacts that the motorist can receive to the upper part of the back. The total detection time and activation of the system is less than 0.15 seconds, which ensures an almost instantaneous response see videoswhen faced with a high-speed crash. The APC is designed to protect the rider’s neck, and particularly the cervical area. In a large number of motorcycle accidents, the most common injuries to this part of the human body are hyperflexion, hypertension and lateral hyperflexion. With the APC, the chances of suffering an injury of this kind are reduced. It is also known that, in a motorcycle accident, the first direct impact and the subsequent impacts the rider receives on being thrown off on to the asphalt or against various obstacles present on the road are equally important. For this reason, the APC’s inflatable bag is designed to try to stabilise the neck in this first impact and try to prevent the aforementioned injuries, as well as to prevent possible blows to the back after the accident see video. Similarly, the APC has been designed to operate in the most common accidents and those with the greatest risk of injury. Along these lines, the ISO 13232 recommendation has been taken as a reference. Two main criteria have been taken into account when it comes to crash-type tests: At speeds of less than 25 km/h. certain violent events (bumping up the kerb, road humps) are easily confused with minor falls or accidents. The APC detects these situations and it is not activated when not necessary. At speeds of around 50 km/h, the accident dynamic is greater, so the APC must be quick enough to be able to provide a response; it is capable of reacting to offer extra levels of safety in the cervical area. In conclusion, the APC is capable of differentiating a potentially dangerous accident from a violent but minor event without clear danger to the rider. In addition, thanks to the speed of the APC’s response, the system is capable of responding early enough to an accident in which the motorcycle’s impact speed is around or slightly greater than 50 km/h. It should be taken into account that, in these cases, the effectiveness of any safety system is drastically reduced due to the extreme violence unleashed during the accident. The APC is no exception.
Some interesting stuff. I wonder what/where the deployment sensors go? Lots of questions....Gotta give them kudos for trying. - I spent 8 years in automotive airbag products. 80% of the event of crash, bag deployment, human hitting bag, and bag ride down happens in less than 1/20th of a second. Still amazes me even now. Its essentially a controlled explosion. MD
They sure are amazing. Some racers are trying out the neck airbag as well. Have you seen the Gold Wing Airbag demo vid? Kinda old now I know. Still, looks like it would be pretty handy indeed for a T-Bone impact. YouTube - Goldwing Air Bag YouTube - Honda Goldwing Airbag official demo
Jason, what about the bag deploying premature ? this would suck if in the middle of a ride it went off for no reason ?
Not sure, as I didn't design it boss....and their website doesn't have 100% of the details. I would doubt that would happen with the jacket as that has a cord to be pulled out of the bottom of a pressurized CO2 cannister. That offers neck protection as well, though not as much. Mainly, this is just a step towards increased safety, and it doesn't mean the first attempt will always be the best, but it is a step in the right direction. Look at how many people were against seatbelts, and motorcyclists were against helmets and protective gear until it showed how much it may prevent injury. What if your car airbag went off as you drove? Hmmmmm....
Jason, Its something to keep a eye on? , and the bag going off when your driving would suck, watch it happen to me tomorrow. hehehe
