Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Racing helmet legend Bill Simpson turning his attention to pro football safety]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2013/01/21/racing-helmet-legend-bill-simpson-turning-his-attention-to-pro-f/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/01/21/racing-helmet-legend-bill-simpson-turning-his-attention-to-pro-f/http://www.autoblog.com/2013/01/21/racing-helmet-legend-bill-simpson-turning-his-attention-to-pro-f/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Simpson Bandit Helmet

Bill Simpson has turned his helmet expertise toward reducing the number of concussions in football. Simpson has been manufacturing helmets for motorsports for years, turning his experience as a drag racer and a driver in the Indianapolis 500 into safer equipment for use at the track, but it wasn't until he met Tom Moore that Simpson began thinking about making football safer. At the time, Moore was working as the offensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts. Moore offered up a few tickets to a game in 2010, and Simpson went. During the game, Colts receiver Austin Collie took a hard hit and wound up out cold.

After the game, Simpson asked for a few helmets for testing and found the gear to be sub par. While some of his work in the motorsports world translates to making safer football helmets, the two sports are very different. One principal remains the same, however: lighter helmets reduce brain injury. As a result, Simpson's prototypes use plenty of light-weight materials, and his youth version weighs about half as much as the current industry standard. Next, Simpson says he'll turn his attention to lacrosse helmets.

Racing helmet legend Bill Simpson turning his attention to pro football safety originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Jan 2013 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bill simpsonfootballfootball helmetshelmethelmetssimpsonsimpson helmetsMon, 21 Jan 2013 17:59:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20433930/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2013/01/21/racing-helmet-legend-bill-simpson-turning-his-attention-to-pro-f/20433930/article-detail.xml 20433930 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/01/simpson-bandit-628_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2013/01/simpson-bandit-628.jpg <![CDATA[Protect your head with... a cardboard helmet?]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2011/06/15/protect-your-head-with-a-cardboard-helmet/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/06/15/protect-your-head-with-a-cardboard-helmet/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/06/15/protect-your-head-with-a-cardboard-helmet/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Kranium cardboard helmet
Kranium cardboard helmets - Click above for image gallery

We were nearly ready to break out the tin foil hats when we first ran across news that cardboard may be better at protecting your noggin than the polystyrene that's currently en vogue in helmets. Upon closer inspection, it turns out the corrugated paper product actually makes a fine impact absorber.

The technology is called Kranium, and it uses interlocking ribs made from cardboard housed under a stiff plastic shell. Since the cardboard is easily manufactured and cut to shape, custom fitment is possible by means of a simple and personalized head-shaped template. This way, the guts can be cut out of a single cardboard sheet and replaced without buying a completely new helmet.

Tests show that these cardboard helmets can withstand four times more impact energy than regular helmets. Just as interestingly, while polystyrene helmets can only take a single impact, these Kranium helmets can reportedly pass testing after five strikes. Read more about the technology at the Kranium site.

Protect your head with... a cardboard helmet? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 Jun 2011 07:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cardboardcardboard helmethelmethelmetskraniumkranium helmetWed, 15 Jun 2011 07:57:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19967037/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2011/06/15/protect-your-head-with-a-cardboard-helmet/19967037/article-detail.xml 19967037 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/06/kranium-image-1-1308085765_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/06/kranium-image-1-1308085765.jpg <![CDATA[First drop in motorcycle related deaths in a decade, are we really any safer?]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2010/04/27/first-drop-in-motorcycle-related-deaths-in-a-decade-are-we-real/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/04/27/first-drop-in-motorcycle-related-deaths-in-a-decade-are-we-real/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/04/27/first-drop-in-motorcycle-related-deaths-in-a-decade-are-we-real/#commentsFiled under: , ,



In a preliminary report, the Governors Highway Safety Association recently indicated a 10% drop in motorcycle related fatalities around the U.S. in 2009. This decline marks the first such improvement in over a decade as deaths have been on the rise consistently from 1997 onward.

Are we really seeing improvement in motorcycle safety, equipment and riding ability? Likely not. As the old saying goes, numbers don't lie, and the drop in fatal injury's comes on the heels of the most extreme decline in motorcycle sales in recent history, which no doubt helped put the brakes on the awful upward trend.

The report goes on to attribute everything from the economy and aging baby boomers to increased training efforts from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation from coast-to-coast. Oh yeah, and we almost forgot the bad weather! Although it may seem that the GHSA can't seem to pick a clear cut reason for the drop, we can only hope history will not repeat itself in this instance, allowing this positive trend to continue. To see the full report and suggestions for increased safety, hit the jump for the release.

[Source: Hell For Leather]

Continue reading First drop in motorcycle related deaths in a decade, are we really any safer?

First drop in motorcycle related deaths in a decade, are we really any safer? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>baby boomersBabyBoomersbikerbikersdeathfatalfatalitiesfatalityhelmethelmet lawsHelmetLawshelmetsmotorcyclemotorcycle accidentmotorcycle crashmotorcycle safetyMotorcycleAccidentMotorcycleCrashmotorcyclesMotorcycleSafetyMSFTue, 27 Apr 2010 14:33:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19455215/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2010/04/27/first-drop-in-motorcycle-related-deaths-in-a-decade-are-we-real/19455215/article-detail.xml 19455215 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/04/guzzi-wheelie-1272344961_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/04/guzzi-wheelie-1272344961.jpg <![CDATA[New 'skull and skin' helmet sounds creepy cool]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2010/02/26/new-skull-and-skin-helmet-sounds-creepy-cool/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/02/26/new-skull-and-skin-helmet-sounds-creepy-cool/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/02/26/new-skull-and-skin-helmet-sounds-creepy-cool/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Have you heard the expression "break neck speeds?" This often overused tag has become the go-to hook line in many motorcycle crash stories on your local evening news. A new design concept called Super Skin from Industrial Design Consultancy, or IDC, looks to address the core issue.

Eighty percent of current motorcycle related deaths are a result of head trauma, and experts agree that rotational forces are the obvious culprit in most of these cases. Taking a cue from how noggins normally protect themselves, IDC claims their "Skull and Skin" design reduces the force that Yoda wouldn't want to be with you by up to 50 percent, which reduces the possibility of permanent brain injury by 67 percent. We think we can all agree that those numbers are 100 percent positive! Simply put, the Super Skin is a flexible membrane wrapped over a gel barrier that allows it to stretch up to eight times its normal length. Take the whole recipe through a vacuum casting process, and it then becomes durable and retains the look and feel of a "normal" helmet.

Before we can get our heads clad in Super Skin, we'll be holding our breath until the summer season. Check with your local Lazer Helmet dealer for access to this creepy cool concept. Oh yes, there will be a price tag put on your head. The Super Skin line is rumored to start at $235 (based on the current exchange rate) and will be available in the open-face Rider or full-face Solano designs.

[Source: idc.uk.com]

New 'skull and skin' helmet sounds creepy cool originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>accidentcrashcrasheshelmethelmetsidclazerLidmotorcycleprotectionsafetyskull and skinSkullAndSkinsuper skinsuper skin helmetSuperSkinSuperSkinHelmetFri, 26 Feb 2010 09:29:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19371823/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2010/02/26/new-skull-and-skin-helmet-sounds-creepy-cool/19371823/article-detail.xml 19371823 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/02/super-skin-helmet_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/02/super-skin-helmet.jpg <![CDATA[VIDEO: Thermahelm motorcycle helmet is swell. Err... <i>not</i> swell]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/09/video-thermahelm-motorcycle-helmet-is-swell-err-not/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/09/video-thermahelm-motorcycle-helmet-is-swell-err-not/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/09/video-thermahelm-motorcycle-helmet-is-swell-err-not/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Thermahelm helmet animation - Click above to watch the video after the break

We're sure this comes as a shock to nobody, but here we go anyway: brain swelling is bad. Very bad. That thick, hard skull surrounding your brain is great at providing a good deal of protection, but when things go awry in a big way, there isn't much room in there to let your brain expand.

Cooling the brain in some manner is apparently a good way to reduce swelling, and a company from the U.K. called Thermahelm has worked up a new motorcycle helmet that incorporates a layer ammonium nitrate and water that instantly mixes in the event of a crash. The chemical reaction will maintain a 37-degree brain temperature, which is said to stave off oxygen loss to the brain.

According to Thermahelm, its technology will add roughly $250 to the cost of a helmet, and the company is currently working on a retrofit kit that will allow riders to install the system in their own helmets. Click past the break to watch a nifty video animating the technology.

[Source: Thermahelm]

Continue reading VIDEO: Thermahelm motorcycle helmet is swell. Err... not swell

VIDEO: Thermahelm motorcycle helmet is swell. Err... not swell originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bike helmetbike safetyBikeHelmetBikeSafetybrain injurybrain traumaBrainInjuryBrainTraumahelmethelmetsmotorcycle helmetmotorcycle helmetsmotorcycle safetyMotorcycleHelmetMotorcycleHelmetsMotorcycleSafetythermahelmthermahelm helmetThermahelmHelmetWed, 09 Dec 2009 16:55:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19271749/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2009/12/09/video-thermahelm-motorcycle-helmet-is-swell-err-not/19271749/article-detail.xml 19271749 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/12/thermahelm_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/12/thermahelm.jpg -1 2