A layer of foam may be good at protecting you from simple whacks on the head, but it's not necessarily sufficient when you're cycling at speed. That's where RLS bike helmet tech comes in. It's claimed to offer four times the concussion protection of a regular helmet, via ball bearings and panels that pop off under pressure.
When you fall off your bike while traveling forward, your helmet-clad head doesn't come straight down onto the road. Instead, it glances off the pavement at angle, with the helmet briefly catching on the asphalt before rotating off to one side.
Unfortunately, because the brain "floats" within the skull, it moves a millisecond after the rest of the head in the event of such a sudden rotation. This results in the shearing of nerves and blood vessels, which can in turn lead to severe brain damage or even death.
MIPS (Multi-directional Impact Protection System) is an existing setup designed to prevent such "rotational injuries" via an inner helmet lining that moves with the wearer's head. The new RLS (Release Layer System) is different, in that it goes on the outside of the helmet. It's manufactured by a British startup of the same name, and will debut this fall in Canyon's Deflectr RLS helmet.
RLS CEO Jamie Cook also runs another company, Hexr, which makes 3D-printed helmets. He came up with the idea when he noticed that the outer shell of one of those helmets came off when it was subjected to a sudden impact. Here's how the RLS system works …
The outside of of an RLS-equipped helmet is covered with an array of polycarbonate bearings, which are in turn covered with thin panels that are adhered in place. During regular usage, those panels stay put and the bearings are hidden.
In the event of a sudden rotational impact, however, the adhesive instantaneously releases, allowing the panels to roll across the bearings and pop loose. This dissipates the rotational energy.
The company states that in tests performed at the University of Strasbourg, RLS reduced peak rotational velocity by an average of 57% to 66% across different impact locations, compared to the same helmets without the technology. That corresponded to a 68% to 86% reduction in the probability of brain injury.
As a result, the Canyon Deflectr RLS helmet now ranks #1 on Virginia Tech's well-regarded helmet ratings chart – ahead of any MIPS helmets.
Source: RLS
