A British tech company has made the world's first 3D-printed cycling helmet, offering a custom fit and claiming it can control impact 68% better than foam with a patent-pending honeycomb structure.
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"No two heads are the same, so why should helmets be?" say Hexr of the new lid. They say it's the best fitting helmet in the world, achieved by using mobile 3D head scanning equipment to create a custom mould unique to the individual. The Hexr project was founded by UCL Mechanical Engineering graduate Jamie Cook, who set about deconstructing several helmets in a lab only to find that widely used polystyrene foam wasn't ideal for absorbing impact on a non-flat surface. The core of each Hexr helmet is a single hexagonal cell, that buckles and softens to reduce pressure on impact. Because the Hexr helmet spreads the energy from an impact, they claim the peak force is dramatically reduced compared to foam.
Each Hexr helmet is a one-off, as a custom 3D mesh is created from scanning the head. Algorithms make a completely bespoke structure in real time, allowing for a perfect fit. Hexr claim the data they generate is accurate "to within a hair’s breadth".
The internal structure is made from Polyamide 11, which Hexr say has cooling benefits because it conducts heat better than foam; when the heat escapes it’s vented out by cool air channelled beneath the outer shell. The outer shell was designed in partnership with TotalSim, aerodynamics specialists who worked with British Cycling at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, and Hexr are claiming their helmet tested 7 seconds faster than the Giro Aether and Kask Protone at 200 watts over 40km.
The shell can also be changed to suit different riding conditions, and it even ticks the eco box as the inner Hexr shell is made from 100% renewable materials; EPS foam isn't biodegradable. The only downside appears to be the £349 price tag, however for that you get a custom fitting session in London or a Hexr courier can come to you if you live within the Greater London area. Sales are limited to 500 this year with the finished products shipping to customers in March 2019. You can reserve yours now with a £50 deposit, check out their website for more info.
Exactly. It hardly seems fair that this driver is prosecuted when tens of thousands of worse incidents happen every day, and are submitted to the...
Unforgiveable dangerous driving; was it reported? The registration is clearly visible, so I hope it was.
I've personally thought about getting a 360 camera after reading a case years ago where a driver was NFA'd after a road rage incident because the...
Nul points for me on this story, I guess....
and presumably why should they have tax, insurance and MOT? - them's for toffs...
It will show how far away he was from the pinch point you say was in play.
Personal anecdote?
How dare you make a joke out of my totally serious and thoroughly researched comment! And it would be Ermintrude obviously.
Well of course they can't do anything - with no plates / bogus plates they're clearly as impossible to trace as all those cyclists not wearing hi...
I got Sirrus on a cycle to work scheme in 2007, commuted 15-20 miles both ways on it for months, great bike, gave me the cycling bug