Ivry-sur-Seine, France – Details of the performance of a novel bicycle helmet have been published by the company that makes it, Bumpair, with a study carried out in collaboration with scientists at the Sorbonne University. Rather than being constructed using expanded polystyrene (EPS) as the protective material, it uses an air-filled polyurethane bladder.
The novel helmet includes an airtight polyurethane membrane designed to contain gas, with a shell made from polyamide fibres surrounding it. When deflated, the helmet can be folded, making it more convenient for cyclists to transport when they are off the bike. When reinflated to the correct pressure, the helmet absorbs shock, protecting the user’s head.
The study looked at how well the helmet protected the head from injury, and how it performed in comparison to a more traditional EPS helmet – a Specialized Align II with a MIPS system – in protecting the head from the effects of impact. To test them, both types of helmet were dropped vertically onto a flat anvil, and the acceleration measured. The helmets were placed on a headform, into which an accelerometer was embedded.
The maximum acceleration value for the Bumpair helmet, pressurised to 0.2MPa, was about 87g, compared to 208g for the EPS helmet on its first drop. This figure steadily increased with the number of drops for the EPS helmet, but previous impacts had less effect on the air-filled one.
In contrast to an EPS helmet, which should be replaced after an impact, performance is retained for the air-filled helmet. This better impact energy mitigation, they said, suggested that the novel helmet concept might improve head injury mitigation in cyclists.
The study has been published in the journal Bioengineering.
