DaveInDaytona
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posted December 11, 2002 07:01 AM
Would you WEAR and airbag ???
From ABC News http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/CuttingEdge/cuttingedge021206.html
The D-Air protection system from Dianese looks like an ordinary vest, but contains three hidden air bags that can inflate in the blink of an eye to protect a motorcycle rider during a collision.
When fully inflated, the D-Air's bladders are designed to brace a rider's back and neck the areas most vulnerable to severe injury in a motorcycle accident.
Story:
A Life Vest for Easy Riders?
Smart Vest to Provide Air Bag Protection for Motorcyclists
By Paul Eng
Dec. 6 Think of a motorcyclist and you may think of a modern-day knight decked out in metal-studded black leather jacket, jeans, boots and dark glasses. What you probably don't think about is someone protected by an air bag.
Even the roughest Hell's Angels biker has a hard time escaping serious life-threatening injuries that typically result from high-speed traffic accidents. And for years, the motorcycle industry has been trying to ramp up better protective gear for bikers including developing car-like air bags.
Honda, for example, tested a concept version of its Gold Wing touring cycle that had a built-in airbag to protect riders from head-on collisions. But the air bag couldn't protect riders from other types of road accidents such as slides caused by slick roads.
Rather than mount the air bag on the cycle, some have taken to developing systems that put the protection on the rider themselves. And the latest attempt comes from Dainese, a protective sports clothing maker in Vicenza, Italy.
The company's D-Air system seems like a simple concept: a vest that contains three "bladders" that inflate during a collision. But how the vest actually works is fairly complex.
Street Smarts
At the heart of the system is a tiny electronic computer called the STM (Sensing, Triggering, and Memory) that is mounted on the motorcycle and powered by a rechargeable battery.
The STM, developed by an Israeli technology firm called Merhav APP, contains sensors that monitor the bike's physical motion and a display that keeps the rider informed of what is happening and when to recharge the battery.
The STM also features a radio transmitter that wirelessly links the box to a receiver built-into the D-Air vest. The two electronic components are in constant communication, sharing data up to 3,000 times per second over a digitally-encoded frequency.
The sensors onboard the STM will watch for telltale signs such as a sudden deceleration force of about ten times that of gravity that precede a collision. Once the computer determines an impending accident, the STM blasts the data to receiver in the vest to start the inflation process.
Going the Extra Mile for Protection
Like car air bag systems, cans of compressed carbon-dioxide gas fill each of the three bladders in as little as 30 milliseconds. The vest's air bags are specifically designed to support the rider's chest, back and neck.
Also, each D-Air bladder is designed to maintain pressure for 20 seconds after inflation to prolong protection in case the rider is sent bouncing down the road and into another vehicle.
Angelo Dainese, the chief executive officer of the U.S. arm of the family-run Dainese firm, says that the company has spent "millions of dollars" over the past three years in developing the D-Air vest.
"We spent over $500,000 just to create a crash test dummy to test [D-Air]," says Dainese. And based on the company's research and investigation by independent European labs, "We think it can help you receive [fewer] injuries in a crash," says the company exec.
The Best Way to Avoid Injury?
But others aren't so convinced.
Tom Lindsey, a spokesperson for the American Motorcycle Association, says that Dainese's solution is not much different from other previous attempts and might not be much better.
"As designed right now, [all] motorcycle air bags have imperfections," says Lindsey. For example, since D-Air only protects the upper torso, he doubts such a system would help in sliding accidents or other incidents where the rider isn't thrown from the bike.
"People need to be aware that no one safety device will be a panacea," says Lindsey. "The best way to keep from being injured in an accident is to avoid the accident in the first place."
Euro-Bikers Only For Now
Still, Dianese believes that there is a market for D-Air and plans to launch the commercial version of D-Air next spring after the results from the independent European testing labs become officially published in January.
The cost: about $800 to $1,000 roughly half the price of a traditional "armored" leather suit worn by professional motorcycle racers and speed enthusiasts.
"People will see this as an attractive and inexpensive way to have an additional layer of protection," says Angelo Dianese, who claims to be an avid biker himself.
And while he says there has been "a lot of interest" in the United States, there are no plans to bring D-Air to American riders just yet.
"There are no references or [safety] standards set for such a product in the U.S. yet," he says. And until government agencies such as the Department of Transportation decides to set such standards, it's unlikely that D-Air could be available to U.S. bikers.
"We are really away of the product liability issues that can arise from this product," says Dianese.
In other words, even some bikers are just not as tough as American lawyers
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Hells Dark Lord
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posted December 11, 2002 07:07 AM
i dont believe that any air vest can take the place of a good set of leathers with armor. I will not replace my suit, but maybe supplement it when I see this thing in action, I will remain open minded, but the proof will be in the pudding so to speak.....
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Ninjaman12R
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posted December 11, 2002 07:13 AM
Interesting.......
Otis posted about this same vest last week. It was the first time I had saw this unit. The only other "air vest" I had saw was the one on the comercial where the guy lays the Harley down.
I don't know if I'd wear one or not, I'd like to read more about them for sure. Like I said in Otis' post, it's good to see companies spending $$$$$$ to try and make our sport safer. Who knows what the next 10 years will bring us regarding protective gear. We may all be wearing "air vest", and "air pants" too. You just never know........
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Hells Dark Lord
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posted December 11, 2002 07:20 AM
I hear ya Ninja....like I said, I will sit back and wait, but I still say nothing protects ya like leather, and kevlar
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DaveInDaytona
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posted December 11, 2002 07:21 AM
I must have missed Otis' post. I was sent the link from a guy I work with because I was a "motorcycle guy". I'm not sure puffing up like the Michelin Man is for me but I guess it could help.
I like that a major news service found a politically correct term for people like us, "speed enthusiasts" does sound better than biker.
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Hells Dark Lord
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posted December 11, 2002 07:29 AM
hell I am an adrenaline junkie myself.......
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Ninjaman12R
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posted December 11, 2002 07:36 AM
"speed enthusiasts"
Hey Dave that does have a nice ring to it. 
Hello, my name is Rick and I'm a self proclaimed "Speed Enthusiast". Damn that might make me sound a little less "Hooliganistic". 
But if we're "speed enthusiasts", WTF is Bart????
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What we're dealin' with here is a complete lack of respect for the law.
Sheriff Buford T. Justice of TEXAS
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Hells Dark Lord
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posted December 11, 2002 07:58 AM
only to those that dont knw the true meaning......to the rest of us you will just be a dam hooligan biker thug.....dam outlaw renegade bikers.....geeezzz they are everywhere
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Ninjaman12R
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posted December 11, 2002 09:38 AM
Does this mean.....
Does this mean my reputation is still "Tarnished"?
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What we're dealin' with here is a complete lack of respect for the law.
Sheriff Buford T. Justice of TEXAS
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Hells Dark Lord
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posted December 11, 2002 10:54 AM
if yers is so is mine.....and let me ask a question, have you ever seen anyone that had a "rep" that was a good one???? lmao
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Ninjaman12R
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posted December 11, 2002 11:20 AM
Nope............
Not that I can recall.........
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What we're dealin' with here is a complete lack of respect for the law.
Sheriff Buford T. Justice of TEXAS
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Hells Dark Lord
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posted December 11, 2002 11:41 AM
well there ya go, yer "rep" is still intact.....lol ya dam hooligan.....
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Ninjaman12R
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posted December 11, 2002 11:50 AM
Er,,, Ahh...........
No arguments here........
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What we're dealin' with here is a complete lack of respect for the law.
Sheriff Buford T. Justice of TEXAS
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Hells Dark Lord
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posted December 11, 2002 12:18 PM
ok, time to post the new thread, I am curious now as to who has Hyper-Pro and how it works......
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slug
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posted December 11, 2002 02:41 PM
is it just me or does that airbag look like it would be more apt to make you slide on the front or side? with the huge back bladders you'll spend more time on front,. or worse, bouncing MORE....
the leather does several things for you, increases friction so you slow faster, it resists abrasion,a nd with armor it can protect impact points.
what that bag appears to do is move all of hte impact points to those items sticking out...arms...legs...
i've been down 3 times, 2 at speeds over 65mph. had i been wearing something like that, im not even sure if it would have inflated at all, as both were lowsides. unless there is a bike departure switch ;P
but in any case, i was off bike and what would sudden inflation have done?if i was on side, not much, but were i to happen to be on my back or front at the time.....
as far as the arms/legs go, not sure. the way it loooks like the stick out of htat contraption don'tm ake me feel good about htem ;P
there would have to be a law requiring me to wear one to put out the cash to get one.
i'll stick with mr cow's contributions and a little dinosaur parts as well (plastic)
  
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VincentHill
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posted December 11, 2002 02:56 PM
YES, but only on my legs!! Maybe my arms also! I never had a problem in the area where the "AIRBAG" is Located! (Maybe one a little lower also! )
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12RPilot
Pro
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posted December 11, 2002 03:46 PM
I'm with slug. I would rather it be inflated in front of me. I've slid pretty far on my back and ass with little injury. I'm more afraid of a head on impact. On the other hand, if I see some objective evidence that it works, I'd wear it. It's not very obtrusive.
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Hells Dark Lord
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posted December 11, 2002 09:15 PM
dam VH its not like ya have anything there to protect........ 
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DaveInDaytona
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posted December 12, 2002 08:21 AM
ok, we'll just go with the inflatable design that's been around since 1893.
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Hells Dark Lord
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posted December 12, 2002 11:08 AM
lol....dave where did ya get that pic of me???????could have atleast used one with me dressed...dammit man
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