FEATURE
SO SPIN HOW MIPS & CO ARE INFORMING THE ESSENTIAL CRASH HELMET By Adam Wheeler, Photos by MIPS & 6D
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lmost eighty years ago Australian neurologist Dr Hugh Cairns published the results of a study into the effectiveness of motorcycle helmets. The document entitled ‘Head Injuries in Motor-Cyclists with special reference to crash helmets’ examined the effectiveness of vulcanised rubber and compressed wood pulp(!) shells of what were the contemporary ‘pudding basin’ products. Head protection or ‘wear’ - like most new-fangled ‘fads’ or
developments of motorcycling in the initial throes – had first appeared in wider consciousness at the Isle of Man TT races some twentyfive years previously. Quite a lot has changed since. However, it is only in the last half a decade that the effectiveness and safety performance of motorcycle ‘lids’ has undergone a radical change. Facets of weight, comfort, vision, sound and protective quality all advanced with technology but
the pioneering exploits of a handful of scientists and engineers have led to a rethink in how helmets work. In particular how they address concussion and the effects of ‘rotational acceleration’. In short: the consequences of the brain moving inside the cranium upon impact, and how potentially lethal or devastating results can be reduced. Cairns’ 1943 document was made public two years after his initial curiosity and
