Researchers have found that an air bag bike helmet is up to six times more effective than a traditional helmet in reducing impact, offering better protection from concussions and brain injuries during biking accidents.
In a study published in the journal Annals of Biomedical Engineering, researchers from Stanford University detailed their work on foam bike helmets. Air bag bike helmets are actually available in some countries in Europe already but not in the United States.
David Camarillo, the study's senior author, was particularly interested in the research they were doing because he himself rides bikes a lot and has figured in biking accidents of his own, which resulted in two concussions. He lauds the benefit that wearing a bike helmet - any helmet - has to offer but thinks traditional options don't protect as well as they could.
"I think many falsely believe that a bike helmet is there to protect against a concussion. That's not true," he said.
The air bag bike helmet Camarillo and colleagues developed is designed to be worn around the neck in a soft pocket. In the event of a potential collision, the helmet pops out like an airbag, enveloping the wearer's head.
To compare their air bag bike helmet against traditional bike helmets, the researchers performed drop tests, which are standard forms of assessment used to determine helmet performance. Based on their observations, the researchers saw that air bag bike helmets can cut back on head accelerations five to six times better than their traditional counterparts, when the right initial pressure is in place.
To simulate different conditions, the researchers carried out drop tests on varying heights. The dummy head was also tilted at different angles to replicate hits to the side of the head and the crown.
According to experts, concussions are more likely to occur when angular brain stretching is experienced, which is likelier to result from a twisting motion instead of a linear one upon impact.
Aside from simply creating better bike helmets, the researchers are pushing for better helmet testing techniques as the current methods don't address certain elements that science has identified to be important if brain injuries and head traumas are to be avoided.
For their next steps, Camarillo and colleagues are looking at testing how an air bag bike helmet affects rotational forces and accelerations during impact and how it can help in reducing brain strain on the tissue level.
The study was supported by the child Health Research Institute Transdisciplinary Initiatives Program, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Thrasher Research Fund and the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering.
