Motorcycle helmets have been around for almost a century, yet their design has never really deviated from the pull on-pull off type with a chinstrap to secure in place. Australian company Vozz Helmets is changing that with a revolutionary design that renders straps obsolete – and has a few more tricks up its sleeve as well.
The Voztec System is a concept that has been around since 2005, but it apparently took several years to reach final production stage. During this time a lot of development and testing had to be carried out before Vozz could secure patents and trademarks in several key countries around the world – including Australia, USA, Europe, Japan and China. A deal with an (unspecified) "international composite helmet manufacturer who is ISO900 certified" took care of the trickiest part of logistics and the Vozz RS 1.0 is officially on the market.
The most innovative feature of the RS 1.0 is the head's access point. The helmet splits vertically in two parts that pivot around a hinge at the top and toward the back of the shell. This opening offers ample space for the head to slide into the helmet and then it only takes is a little pressure to reattach the two parts via two locking mechanisms. According to Vozz this can be done easily while wearing gloves and even glasses.
This concept allowed the redesign of the helmet's underside, resulting in an extended and rounded chin cup that surrounds the head from below, thus eliminating the need for a chinstrap to hold it in place. Once the two parts of the helmet have locked, it is supposed to fit perfectly without the need of any kind of restraint and cannot be accidentally removed.
In theory there are several inherent advantages to this design. By eliminating the need for an opening big enough for the head to slide in, the helmet can be tailored for a closer fit. The chin area is covered more efficiently so less air can enter from below, resulting in less aerodynamic lift to the head at high speeds, less noise and better heat insulation in the cold.
In terms of safety, this design offers fewer snag points that could cause the helmet to rotate around the chinstrap in the case of an accident. Vozz has also included a safety release system. By removing the two screws that hold the upper hinge in place, emergency personnel can detach the front part of the helmet in a matter of minutes without applying any pressure to the rider's head.
Vozz produces the RS 1.0 in three different shell sizes and also offers three EPS (expanded polystyrene) liners. Furthermore, another innovative feature is the extendable chin cup, via a simple slider mechanism that can be found behind the cheek pads. This ingenious idea addresses a typical problem of full-face helmets, where the same rigid shell has to fit heads with different chin sizes.
Vozz Helmets announced that as of December 15, the RS 1.0 can be found at the central company store in East Frenchs Forest near Sydney, Australia. Future plans include setting up a dealer network all over the world, but one doesn't necessarily have to wait too long as Vozz's web store will go online on December 23. Then the last piece of the puzzle will also be revealed, the helmet's price.
The video below provides a detailed visual explanation of Vozz's innovative helmet.
Source: Vozz Helmets
