But innovations in air cushions can help protect motorists.
The user attaches the jeans to the bike and, if they fall off the motorcycle, the air cushions are activated, which are filled with compressed air and decrease the impact on the lower body. You can then deflate the air cushion, refill it with gas, and reassemble the jeans to reuse it, Shahrivar explains.
Airbag Inside Sweden AB is in the process of certifying the jeans according to European safety and health standards and is performing a series of shock tests on them.
The company has raised 150,000 euros ($ 180,000) from the European Union to develop the idea and hopes to launch jeans to market in 2022. French company CX Air Dynamics has launched a crowdfunding campaign to develop a similar idea.
Airbag vests
Shahrivar says it is the first time this type of protection will be available for the lower body.
The equivalent technology for the upper body has been around for over 20 years. Motorcycle airbags can be placed under a jacket and protect the chest, neck and sometimes the back.
Early versions were tied to the bike, such as Shahrivar jeans, but more recently standalone electronic airbags have been developed that instead use high-tech sensors to detect when the rider is about to fall.
Among the autonomous airbags on the market is a system created by the French firm In & motion.
The company began designing portable air cushions for professional skiers in 2011 and has since adapted the technology for motorcyclists. Instead of using a spring to activate airbags, he has created a “brain” consisting of a GPS, gyroscope and accelerometer. Slightly larger than a smartphone, this box is placed on the back of any compatible vest.
“The sensors measure movements in real time and the algorithm is able to detect a fall or accident by inflating the airbag just before a crash,” In & motion communications manager Anne- told CNN Business Laure Hoegeli.
The box measures the pilot’s position 1,000 times per second. As soon as an “unrecoverable imbalance” is detected, the airbag pulls and inflates completely to protect the wearer’s chest, abdomen, neck, and spine, Hoegeli explains. This takes only 60 milliseconds.
In & motion recently raised $ 10 million ($ 12 million) in funding to expand into Europe and the United States.
While basic operation is similar to other electronic airbags on the market, In & motion has an affordable subscription service, says Emma Franklin, deputy editor of Motorcycle News. “Their system has made airbags more accessible to everyday people in many ways,” Franklin tells CNN Business.
Drivers can buy the box directly for $ 400 or rent it at In & motion for about $ 120 a year. Users in France also have access to a setting that calls emergency services in the event of an accident.
“Of the few articles, case studies, and articles I’ve seen, they seem to be a very useful device,” Frampton says.
“I’m in favor of them: the chest, neck and spine are areas where you can suffer life-threatening injuries.”