Bob
15th January 2010, 01:20
An inventor from the University of Sussex has created a new crash helmet that acts in the same way as an icepack on impact.
The new helmet – the brainchild of Inventor Julian Preston-Powers, himself a keen motorcyclist – contains two lightweight chemical cooling packs. In the event of an impact, the packs are activated, cooling the brain to prevent swelling. The cooling effect lasts for up to 45 minutes, greatly improving the victim’s chance of survival.
Mr Preston Powers, 41, came up with the idea after applying an icepack to his arm after a sporting injury. Unable to hold it any longer, he put it down inside a friend’s motorcycle helmet. The friend put it on without realising – and commented how good it felt.
The ThermaHelm helmet is priced at £299 and is due to launch in May 2010. A £499 version, containing GPS and a camera is to be launched later in the year.
The new helmet – the brainchild of Inventor Julian Preston-Powers, himself a keen motorcyclist – contains two lightweight chemical cooling packs. In the event of an impact, the packs are activated, cooling the brain to prevent swelling. The cooling effect lasts for up to 45 minutes, greatly improving the victim’s chance of survival.
Mr Preston Powers, 41, came up with the idea after applying an icepack to his arm after a sporting injury. Unable to hold it any longer, he put it down inside a friend’s motorcycle helmet. The friend put it on without realising – and commented how good it felt.
The ThermaHelm helmet is priced at £299 and is due to launch in May 2010. A £499 version, containing GPS and a camera is to be launched later in the year.