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82-year-old develops 'life-saving' motorcycle helmet
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Written by Fran Newton, 22/02/10
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A crash helmet developed by a pensioner could save the lives of thousands of bike insurance policyholders if it widely taken up.
The headgear, developed by a retired GP, is covered in a synthetic skin that swivels and absorbs impact during a collision.
Names SuperSkin, the helmet has been developed by Dr Ken Phillips, who has spent 15 years working on the project.
"There is an ongoing slaughter from motorcycle accidents and I wanted to do something about it," the 82-year-old told the Mirror.
Dr Phillips has raised £1.5 million for the helmet to be put into production and it is now entering the market priced at £200.
He took inspiration from the scalp's movement, which slides over the skull upon impact to protect the brain.
"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," the GP added.
Tests of the headgear showed a reduction in rotational impact of up to 50 per cent, which could cut the potential for brain damage by almost 70 per cent.
In related news, keen biker Jullian Preston-Powers recently developed a brain-cooling helmet that could help riders protect their brains in the event of a collision.
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