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.
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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.
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According to the company, the new helmet will be available by autumn 2022.