PDA

View Full Version : ‘Brain cooling’ crash helmet “could save thousands of lives”



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.

Hopeful Bastard
15th January 2010, 12:10
Hey, Now thats interesting and worthwhile looking at..

p.dath
15th January 2010, 12:35
Hey, Now thats interesting and worthwhile looking at..

This chemical pack, inside the helmet; if it ruptures what does it do? Are the chemicals themselves harmfull?

sleemanj
15th January 2010, 13:43
I expect if the pack ruptures, you've got bigger worries than if you're gonna get chemicals on you.

{.bLanK}G_o_D
17th January 2010, 12:35
More than likely yes, but p.dath asked a fair question, and honestly, if the chemicals inside weren't safe, I wouldn't even consider buying one.
An extreme example being, would you put it on your head if that cooling chemical just happens to be HCl acid? probably not.

steve_t
17th January 2010, 14:13
Interesting comments were made regarding the best way to cool the brain being to apply the cold to the neck and chill the blood as it goes to the brain. This way you don't have to cool the hair (if present), the scalp, and the skull bone, before the cold gets to the brain itself. Advocates say that the helmet stops heat escaping thus worsening swelling injury but others have argued that the Shoei X-Spirit II and Arai cheek pad release systems are now available to prevent this.

Interesting concept anyway