Jul 7 2009
Skiers, snowboarders and horse riders are first to benefit from an innovative new helmet design that continues to protect after multiple impacts
The unique properties of ARPRO have allowed imaginative French company, Pulsium, to design a sports helmet that delivers improved levels of comfort combined with excellent protection from multiple impacts. The new helmet, called Tatoo, is initially available for skiers and snowboarders with a version for horse riders to follow.
"Traditional polystyrene (EPS) helmets are inflexible and tend to be brittle - after a single impact they offer much less protection and should be thrown away," advises Pascal Joubert Des Ouches, President of Pulsium. "It's a substantial problem that compromises safety and increases costs for the user. ARPRO, on the other hand, gives almost the same protection on the fifth impact as the first - for us, it's an ideal material."
An EPS helmet should be discarded after a heavy impact. The international test standard (EN 1077) only subjects a helmet to a single blow. The Tatoo helmet, using ARPRO, is so advanced that it passes the standard but then offers further protection, beyond that envisaged by the legislators.
The use of ARPRO has also helped increase comfort for the wearer. "Many users complain that rigid EPS helmets are not comfortable," Joubert Des Ouches continues. "The Tatoo helmet is a semi-rigid assembly, like four scales linked together, allowing it to conform better to different head shapes. ARPRO makes this concept complete because it is flexible and resilient, further improving the individual fit."
The Tatoo helmet, sold under the Rossignol brand, is particularly well suited to skiers and snowboarders, where the excellent low temperature performance of ARPRO is an additional benefit.
"Materials become harder and more brittle at typical winter sport temperatures," explains Joubert Des Ouches,"but ARPRO's properties still provide an ideal solution."
A similar helmet for horse riders has been engineered and will soon be available .
"JSP was delighted to support Pulsium in its search for a suitable material to make the new concept successful," adds Paul Compton, JSP's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer -Europe, "By providing technical support and laboratory testing, we were quickly able to identify the ideal grade of ARPRO for this application.
In turn, this has allowed Pulsium and Rossignol to bring to the market an innovative new product which will help prevent injury."