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Renowned maker of motorcycle safety gear Dainese has introduced an
airbag system for motorcyclists. Dainese’s system—which has been
used by factory riders in the 125cc and 250cc races in Valencia,
Spain—is the latest in a string of such safety devices that has
been making their way onto motorcycles.
Riding gear manufacturers Motoair and Hit-Air
have recently sold ripcord-operated inflating jackets while the
ultra-luxurious Honda Goldwing has been equipped with an airbag for
around two years now.
Called the D-Air Racing system, Dainese’s
product took 10 years of development, three of which, Dainese said,
were spent on building the sensor trigger’s hardware and software
requirements. The sensor is the device that decides when to deploy
the gas-inflated airbag.
Presently designed solely for racing, Dainese
said its system is a new type of rider protection technology that
uses a series of accelerometers and electronically-operated rate
gyros to deploy an airbag mounted in the aerodynamic hump of a
leather racing suit. It takes only 40 milliseconds for the airbag to
deploy, the system providing protection to the rider’s neck,
shoulder and collarbone.
Where Motoair’s and Hit-Air’s systems are
triggered when a rider gets separated from the motorcycle,
Dainese’s system is not connected to the motorcycle at all, its
sensors determining if the rider is about to fall off the bike or if
he is merely leaning over. Dainese said it purposely designed its
system that way because riders often hit the ground while still
mounted on their bikes.
The D-Air Racing system has been used by Dainese-sponsored
riders Simone Giorgi, Michael Ranseder and Marco Simoncelli and has
been tested in race and practice crashes.
-- Brian Afuang
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