cebars

http://www.discoverychannel.ca/Showpage.aspx?sid=13287

Starts at 1:50

MySR71

I'm a little confused by it. I didn't think a person could turn their head when they have it on! However, when the racer took it out on track, you can see him rotating his head within the helmet. Per traditional hemlet sizing rules, it would seem he is wearing a helmet that is way too big.

MR Turco

that looks awesome!

cebars

Don't understand how thelmet fits to allow movement and provide protection. Read somewhere that a racer can turn his head as much as required inside the helmet without the helmet turning. The iHANS doesn't fit tightly like current helmets.

Looks like Biokinetics http://www.biokinetics.com/ are doing the research.

stevensa

Interesting. I wonder how hard it is to get out of a car?

WesTenRacing

I don't think getting out (or in) the car would be difficult. Once the belts are off the helmet "assembly" will move freely.

Bills Z06

Really cool!

WNeal

I would think that since "the system" takes more of the energy, they can now allow just enough "looseness" to allow you to move the head. It is probably still in contact with your head but not enough to prevent movement.
I wonder if this would have saved the F1 Driver that got hit in the head with a tire bouncing on track from the guy that wrecked in front of him. It was instant death for him.

fatbillybob

In the video you can see how his head slops in the helmet. I can't think of any other way around that need. You have to have some head movement if you are going to race W2W. It will be an engineering compromise to see where you can take helmet movement away and replace it with head movement inside the helmet. The smart engineers will do the math then brave guys will test it and in a few years we low hanging fruit will be the recipients of the technology. I use the double shoulder belt HANS specific Scroth belts (4 shoulder belts). It provides a very different feel to the worn HANS. I would think that the IHANS would benefit from those kinds of belts. The NASCAR cockpit as a monocoque is the pinicale of tintop safety systems. I don't see advanatages to them with IHANS but for sure with lower levels of racing where unsupported and non-full containment seats prevail. I wonder about the physics of increasing helmet mass with the new FIA standards posts Massa's spring in the head incident and adding the weight of the IHANS. By doing so you might make some gear redundant, like sidenets and containment seats, but now your harness system and its mounting better be deadnuts perfect! Something so simple and known as harnesses contributed to the famous Earnhardt death that really catapalted HANS sales.

Olitho

I imagine the final design, regardless of the outside shape of the helmet design will have a round interior with a shell inside a shell that can rotate freely. Just having a sloppy fitting helmet to allow movement will still allow for damaging skull collisions inside the iHANS system.


Oli