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World’s first “brain saving” hard hat to be launched

Swedish safety helmet firm MIPS has teamed up with UK industrial safety firm Guardio to create the world’s first hard hat that offers a brain protection system, Construction Manager reports.

The helmets, already popular among motorcycle and bike riders, were developed after more than 20 years of research with the Royal Institute of Technology and the Karolinska University in Stockholm.

Now the firm is targeting the hard hat, citing figures from the US-based Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that show that the construction sector has the greatest number of fatal and non-fatal traumatic brain injuries in US workplaces.

The Armet helmet will be fitted with a "Multi-directional Impact Protection System", designed to reduce the rotational motion transmitted to the brain from angled impacts. Rotational motion can cause bleeding in the brain and increase the risk of injuries. MIPS’ added protection system has been proven to reduce the rotational motion by absorbing and redirecting forces that would otherwise be transmitted to the brain.

The helmet has a "low friction layer" that allows the helmet to slide relative to the head. A video explaining the system can be seen below.

 "We are very excited about the partnership with Guardio which means that we now can add protection to safety helmets as well," said Max Strandwitz, chief executive of MIPS. "This is a new category for us but a category that MIPS have been looking at for a long time."

The helmet will be available to buy from next month.

Image: The Armet helmet (CM)

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