Motorcycle-style Airbags For Ski Racers
Motorcycle-style Airbags For Ski Racers
Published : 27-Jan-2011 10:00
Chammy Alcott - seriously injured
Following a number of high profile accidents for ski racers on the slopes, the International Ski Federation (FIS) and Dainese have announced a partnership with the aim of studying "intelligent protection for Alpine Skiing."
Essentially the plan is to replicate Dainese's head-to-toe safety and intelligent protection systems that the company has been employing to dramatically increase safety in motorcycling.
Currently the organisations are in the "data collection phase" of the project which involves human 'crash test dummies' who wear data-recording equipment to test the dynamics of ski racing on the body with the aim of working out the correct algorithm to activate the airbag so that it only works when needed, and does work when needed.
"The new partnership with Dainese is the latest step in the FIS Injury Surveillance System which began five years ago. It benefits from the findings and data collected during the last four seasons and ideally complements the other current projects underway at the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center and the University of Salzburg," commented FIS President Gian Franco Kasper.
"Protecting people in sport is a corporate 'mission' that has seen us engaged in a ceaseless process of research and innovation since 1972. It is a process that started with motorcycling and brought us an immense wealth of knowledge that we are proud now to apply to Alpine Skiing. Our commitment to the enthusiasts and champions of this sport began in the nineties, when we introduced the back protector, and continues with the D-Air intelligent protection system today. We are therefore honored to partner with the prestigious International Ski Federation with its long-standing dedication to safety in sport," declared Lino Dainese, Chairman of Dainese S.p.A.
The project will continue for the next two years, until 2013.
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