You might have started to notice some helmets (like the Triple 8 Gotham Helmet) are now coming with a new safety certification, i.e. the MIPS Technology.
Whenever you see the yellow circle on a helmet, you know it was built with the MIPS technology.
What is the MIPS technology?
MIPS stands for Multi-Directional Impact Protection System. The MIPS technology has been developed in Sweden since 1996 and scientifically proven to reduce rotational motion by absorbing and redirecting rotational energies and forces transferred to the brain from angled impacts to the head.
Say what? Ok, here’s how it works:
In a helmet with MIPS Brain Protection System (BPS), the shell and the liner are separated by a Low Friction Layer.
If you hit your head in an angle, the low friction layer allows the helmet (shell) to slide relative to the head. As shown on the image above, the shell is being pushed side to side or back to front but the yellow liner is staying fixed on the head.
The MIPS BPS is designed to add protection in helmets against the rotational motion. The rotational motion is a combination of rotational energy (angular velocity) and rotational forces (from angular acceleration) that both affects the brain and increases the risk for minor and severe brain injuries. MIPS BPS has been scientifically proven to reduce rotational motion when implemented in a helmet by absorbing and redirecting rotational energies and forces transferred to the brain.
Strain on the brain
The illustration is based on data that was generated using a finite element computer model, based on measurements obtained from nine accelerometers in a Hybrid III crash test dummy head. The dummy head wearing a helmet was subjected to an angled impact using the MIPS test rig.The model illustrates strain in the brain from a similar angled impact when the dummy head is wearing a helmet without MIPS and a helmet with MIPS.
