LONDON (BRAIN) — A British startup is offering the helmet industry an alternative to MIPS and similar technologies that claim to reduce the risk of head injuries caused by rotational forces. The startup is backed by some industry leaders and its first client is Canyon, which launches a helmet with the technology this fall.
The Release Layer System reduces rotational forces thanks to panels on the helmet's exterior. Putting the technology on the outside of the helmet provides more rotational motion (10-15mm) than liners like MIPS or technologies that are part of the helmet's impact-protection layer, like WaveCel and Lazer's KinetiCore. Being on the exterior also allows the technology to begin attenuating rotational forces a fraction of a second sooner than interior technologies.
RLS was founded by Jamie Cook, who was co-founder of the UK-based HEXR 3D-printed helmet brand (he is the CEO of both companies). The startup is backed by several venture capital firms and private investors, including Oxford Science Enterprises, Active Partners, and White Road Investments, a venture capital firm co-founded by Gary Erickson, the co-founder of Clif Bar (White Road is also an investor in Outside, BRAIN's parent). RLS consultants include Greg Shapleigh, a helmet industry veteran who has worked at Bell/Giro, Specialized and MIPS. Shapleigh is also the chairman of HighBar, a helmet retention technology that launched on a Canyon model last year. HighBar, also supported by White Road and others, made its debut on two Canyon helmet models.
Cook said he discovered the RLS technology while developing 3D-printed helmets.
"I was working at HEXR, a company that I co-founded when I left University of Oxford," he told BRAIN.
"At the time, we were developing the world's first 3D-printed custom-fit bike helmets for launch in 2018. Because I thought it'd be safer, my mission was to replace foam material in helmets with a honeycomb-like structure made from Polyamide 11 that provides improved impact absorption and is customized to the wearer's head shape using 3D-scanning technology. What we found was that upon impact, the outer shells of those 3D-printed helmets would actually separate. It was a random feature to find, but we realized that this release was really effective at reducing the rotational forces that are a major cause of brain injuries."
Around four years ago, Cook pivoted the business to focus on the technology. He and his research team began experimenting with the most efficient ways to release panels.
The patented RLS adhesive layer is engineered to react to significant impact force in a matter of milliseconds, releasing its grip. The RLS panel is then free to roll on lightweight polycarbonate bearings in any direction, redirecting concussive forces away from the brain in the process. The panel then releases from the shell, further dissipating rotational energy.
RLS currently holds numerous granted patents (including this one) across key markets, including the U.S. and Europe.
"Our brains are really delicate and sensitive to even the slightest rotational motion, which unfortunately is present in most head impacts, and can often cause concussions and other (traumatic brain injuries). Some technologies, such as MIPS, aim to mitigate these rotational forces by allowing the helmet to rotate independently from the skull," Cook said. "What MIPS has done really effectively over the last 10 years is show the world how important rotational motion is as part of designing a helmet that's holistically safer."
"ICUBE at the University of Strasbourg in France has tested three helmet types with and without the (RLS) technology: a mountain bike or trail helmet, a road helmet, and an urban commuter helmet. They've found that compared to the same helmets without the Release Layer System, helmets with RLS reduced peak rotational velocity by an average of 57% to 66% across different impact locations. This corresponds to a 68% to 86% reduction in the likelihood of brain injury as estimated by the Abbreviated Injury Scale - Level 2," Cook said.
RLS is being designed and manufactured by engineers based in East London. RLS also has planned manufacturing partners in Asia.
"We're trying to get this message across that this is not an incremental change to helmet safety. This is a profound, new approach that could fundamentally shift how safe helmets are in the future," said Cook, who is also a shareholder in the company.
Canyon includes RLS technology in its new Deflectr Trail Helmet, expected to be released later this fall and retailing for about $160.
HEXR will also release a limited-edition helmet with RLS, which will retail for $150-$250.
More information: releaselayer.com.
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RLS founder Jamie Cook. -
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