It goes with out saying that helmets have come a good distance from being simply protecting items of substances. Nowadays, they’re most likely extra of a standing image than anything. You already know, a technique to flex in your buddies at bike evening? And whereas I’d wish to consider that each one helmets in the marketplace are designed before everything to maintain you protected, let’s face it—there are just a few lids on the market which might be extra about making a press release and turning heads.
Oh, and taking manner an excessive amount of of your hard-earned cash, too.
So, what’s behind these loopy value tags, anyway? Nicely, for starters, branding performs a large position. Huge names like Shoei, Arai, and AGV have at all times commanded a premium due to their perceived high quality and unquestionable racing heritage. However in fact, one other plain issue is cutting-edge supplies like carbon fiber, prized for being light-weight and impact-absorbing.
Nevertheless, the usage of cutting-edge carbon fiber and different artificial composites comes with its drawbacks. They are typically advanced and are accompanied by expensive manufacturing processes and less-than-ideal environmental impacts. All of this provides as much as a better price which is sort of at all times absorbed by us, the top customers.
That is the place ExoTechnologies comes into the image. The Isle of Man-based firm has cooked up a brand new and progressive materials known as Danu, a pure fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composite. Not like fiberglass and carbon fiber, Danu supposedly makes use of pure fibers like flax or hemp. And based on ExoTech, the fabric not too long ago handed rigorous testing and certification to be used in bike helmets. A superb signal each by way of sustainability and accessibility.
In line with ExoTech, Danu is designed to compete head-on with carbon fiber and fiberglass. It supposedly gives related mechanical properties, and even brings some benefits to the desk. For starters, helmets constructed from Danu are reportedly 14% lighter than customary composites (I’m guessing they’re referring to fiberglass right here, and never carbon fiber). Danu-constructed lids additionally supposedly boast a 275-G impression resistance ranking, which places them on par with present high-performance helmets.
Better of all, ExoTech’s new materials is absolutely recyclable and renewable. Which means helmets which have gone previous their helpful service life can simply be recycled into new ones. Oh, and producing new helmets must be cheaper and extra accessible, as extra of those pure fibers are harvested from vegetation. So yeah, you can say that helmets will quickly develop on timber…nicely, type of.
So, how quickly will we be seeing helmets on gear store cabinets made out of this materials? Nicely, most likely earlier than you assume. Danu has already acquired certifications from among the largest authorities within the helmet business—assume names like FIM, ECE, and DOT. So it’s only a matter of time till large helmet names crew up with ExoTech to develop and produce helmets constructed out of pure fibers.
With environmental sustainability a warmer matter than ever earlier than, it’s clear that increasingly more improvements like these are on the horizon. Not too way back, we talked about how Yamaha was experimenting with PWC hulls made out of flax fibers. Leaping again into the helmet scene, AGV’s father or mother firm Dainese announced a project specializing in recycling used helmets and extracting their uncooked supplies to be used in making new lids.
And so it’s apparent that there’s a push for greener and extra sustainable initiatives in each the powersports business and past. It’s only a disgrace that it’s taken so lengthy for everybody to comprehend it.
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