New motorbike helmet offers 'revolutionary' protection against brain injuriesRSS Feed

16 February 2010

A new motorcycle helmet has been designed which is said to offer new levels of protection against certain types of brain injury.

Retired GP Ken Phillips invented the helmet, which has now been manufactured by Industrial Design Consultancy.

The helmet, which is called SuperSkin, is covered in a synthetic skin on top of a gel-type lubricant and effectively mimics the human skull.

On impact, the outer skin stretches around the outer shell to absorb the impact and reduce the risk of the wearer experiencing rotational head injury, which is believed to be the main cause of brain damage and death for motorcyclists involved in road accidents.

The 82-year-old retired doctor told the Daily Mirror how his design mimics the human skull: "Energy is absorbed by compression of the scalp and what we call rotational acceleration is taken up by movement of the scalp. So I decided to see how this could apply to helmets."

Meanwhile, Canadian researchers have found that the use of helmets in recreational activities is a beneficial form of protection against head injuries.

The study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), found no evidence to suggest that helmets could increase the risk of neck injury in a crash or fall.

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