For all the innovation in helmets, most of it has gone towards making the things "smart." Think AI, AR, integrated cameras, intercom systems, and whatnot. But the traditional helmet design has remained unchanged for the most part. A company called Roof plans to change that.
The French helmet maker has been innovating in this space since 1993, and is now present in more than 35 countries. Its latest invention is the DJagger helmet, which features a unique design that eliminates the need for the conventional chin strap.
So, how do you put the helmet on/off? The rear end of the helmet opens laterally, retreats backward, and rises outward, creating ample space for your head to move in and out. Pretty Iron Man-ish when you see the actual thing in motion.
It’s a "full-face helmet with occipital opening and without a chinstrap" that doesn’t require you to "take off gloves and glasses to put it on or take it off," as Roof explains it. Not just that, the Djagger also reportedly offers improved acoustic insulation and fit.
For folks who wear sunglasses or spectacles inside their helmets, you’ll be happy to learn that your glasses will stay in place without any hindrance, as the helmet would slip over your face rather than over the head.
The whole point of this design is not just to make ingress/egress easier for a rider. It also helps enable "intervention of emergency services after a fall, allowing access to the face without straining the rider’s neck."
Roof also plans to include a photochromic viewfinder that automatically adapts to ambient light and a Pinlock lens, once the helmet makes its way to production. Which, would require the lid to pass the strenuous ECE 22.06 homologation tests.
As it stands, I have questions. The first thing I’m confused about is how that hinge operates. If it’s electrically calibrated, it’s bound to need constant charging/battery changing. Next, I’m a bit torn about adding more moving parts to a helmet. It's bound to weaken its structural integrity. And then, last but not least, just how durable are those strings being used on that movable hinge? Imagine being stuck inside, unable to open the thing due to a random mechanical issue… no thanks!
Then there's the fact that helmets are an unusually brand-specific affair. I know many a rider who’d swear their lives on a particular helmet just because it has 'Arai' or 'Bell' written on it. Roof will have to do an awful lot to make a case for itself in a market as fierce as helmets.
As of now, there are no details on the helmet's release date and expected retail price. The DJagger is currently still at the prototype stage of development, having been revealed at this year’s EICMA, but is rumored to be in testing stages. Your thoughts?
Source: Roof
