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R_www.dailymail.co.uk_sciencetech 2015 05422.txt.txt

#Helmet with built-in suspension: Motorcycle headgear absorbs energy from a crash to protect your brain as well as your skull Experts have created a helmet with built-in suspension to protect your brain as well as your skull. While most ordinary motorcycle and cycle helmets attempt to protect the skull from damage, the brain is still susceptible to injuries from impacts. The 6d helmet contains a foam liner inside which is split into two layers, separated by an array of energy absorbing elastomeric isolation dampers -which look tiny rubber suction cups-creating an air gap. It is designed to compress and'shear'omnidirectionally. This allows the two layers to move independently acting similarly to a damper in a suspension system. The helmet also slows the rotation of the head down on impact, which can cause the brain to spin inside the skull and lead to brain injuries. Bob Weber, cofounder of 6d helmets, said the combination of the suspension system along with an EPS foam to absorb energy helps to make the helmet safer. He said:''By having a suspension in the helmet, the helmet is active at a much lower energy demand than a traditional design.''The two liners can compress within themselves and if the energy is high enough the two layers come together and the EPS takes over.''While traditional helmets are simply too stiff to effectively absorb energy from impacts at lower impact velocities, the 6d helmet's Omnidirectional Suspension (ODS) will compress and shear omni-directionally when subjected to impact. This means it could be used to improve safety for motorcyclists and traditional cyclists. An array of 27 dampers work in unison to isolate impact energy from the brain. The elasticity of the dampers, and their ourglassshape, act like springs that manage low and medium crash impacts, while allowing the foam liner to shear in. g

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