Mips – Helmet Safety
Helmets have long been designed to protect against straight impacts, primarily to prevent skull fractures. But in reality, angled impacts are more common – and these can cause dangerous rotational movements of the head. Yet current certification standards do not cover this type of risk, even though the brain is especially sensitive to rotation during angled impacts.
How does MIPS work?
The Mips® safety system is designed to provide protection in helmets against so-called rotational motion.
Rotational motion is a combination of rotational energy (angular velocity) and rotational force (angular acceleration). This rotational motion results in shearing and/or stretching of brain tissue, which affects the brain and can lead to serious brain damage such as concussion and hemorrhage.
ANGLED IMPACTS
Traditional helmets are designed and tested primarily for straight impacts, but most impacts are angled which can cause rotation of the head. The EN397 standard currently has no tests for rotation.
SENSITIVE BRAIN
Research has shown that the brain is particularly sensitive to angled impacts, which can result in long-term brain damage that is difficult to recover from.
ROTATION PROTECTION
The MIPS low friction protection in the Guardio helmets is designed to reduce the rotation of the head during certain angled impacts and thus reduce the risk of brain injury.
Industry Leader
The development of the MIPS low-friction layer is based on many years of studies of the biomechanical properties of the human brain. Research and development has been ongoing for over 25 years and has taken place together with KI and KTH. Countless tests have been conducted to ensure and further develop the innovation. As recently as October 2019, the Polhelm Prize was awarded to the researchers who helped develop the MIPS safety solution.