Brains are the most vulnerable body part we have as humans. As such, they are worth protecting. Bike manufacturer Bontrager has designed a bike helmet that should prevent concussions or worse brain injuries as much as possible.
Many traditional bicycle helmets cushion the impact in the event of a fall. This is due to the mostly hard plastic shell containing EPS foam. The soft inside of these helmets dents and thus softens the impact of the fall. Bontrager's so-called Charge Wavecel Commuter helmet goes one step further, reports The Engineer: it prevents the brain from rotating. This prevents concussions or worse.
Normally, when falling, it is often the case that the head is forcefully pushed to one side over a short period of time. The brain then 'falls' in that same direction shortly afterwards. Despite the fact that a helmet softens the impact of the blow, it still often causes concussions or even worse brain injuries. The WaveCel helmet is designed to also cushion the rotation of the head. On the inside of the helmet is a kind of plastic structure with a wave pattern that can bend, crumple and rotate.
Trend breaking
Bontrager collaborated with TREK Bikes to create the helmet, like many of its products. "The WaveCel helmet represents a radical departure from safety standards already in place for 30 years in the bike industry," reads the website. The energy of lateral impact is absorbed as follows:
Bending: The cell structure bends with it and absorbs initial friction forces.
Crumple: Then the structure crumples, just like a car bumper in a collision.
Moving: Finally, WaveCel displaces impact energy away from your head.
Click on the image below to watch a video about the helmet:
Research
The WaveCel helmet has already been extensively tested in drop tests by both a US and French lab. These have shown that there is 48 times less chance* of concussion with wearing a WaveCel helmet than with a helmet with EPS foam.
The helmet is now on the market and also approved for speed pedelecs; electric bikes that can go faster than 45 kilometres per hour. A standard copy costs 150 euros.
*Results are based on AIS 2 injury (Abbreviated Injury Scale) based on BrIC (Brain Injury Critera) in a comparison test between a standard EPS helmet and the same helmet modified with a WaveCel insert at an impact of 6.2 m/s at an angle of 45°.
Source: The Engineer/TREK Bikes.
