US-based helmet manufacturer Riddell has released a new helmet for American football players that it claims offers a significant advance in safety.
‘The Riddell Axiom introduces new technologies that will fundamentally change what the football community expects in a helmet, making this launch an exciting moment for our company, but also for athletes across all playing levels,’ said Dan Arment, president and CEO of Riddell.
The new helmet system was designed using millions of data points from on-field impacts collected using Riddell’s smart helmet technology, as well as feedback from players, coaches and equipment managers.It features a new fitting system, a redesigned helmet shell platform with a new energy-management system, reimagined frontal protection and integrated smart helmet technology.
Crucially, each helmet is designed individually, based on data from the player who will wear it. A smart-phone-based scanning app captures a 3D image of the athlete’s head and then a proprietary fitting algorithm analyses the images and generates an individualised combination of energy-managing interior liner pads, each with unique thicknesses, shapes and contours. These liner pads work together with internal flex panels to create a personalised interior fit and protection systemdesigned to improve impact response.
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Axiom is also the first football helmet to offer a standard, factory-installed, optically correct, removable visor that gives players both a clear field of view and full-coverage eye protection.
‘This helmet is the product of new design methods, materials and technologies, and will reset the overall athlete experience with a football helmet,’ said Thad Ide, senior vice president of research and product development at Riddell.
According to the company, the new helmet will be available by autumn 2022.