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Helmets, history and innovations A helmet is a form of protective gear worn on the head. Traditionally, helmets have been made of metal. In recent decades helmets made from resin or  plastic and typically reinforced with Aramid fiber (e.g. Twaron or Kevlar) have become preferred for most applications. Designed for protection of the head in combat, or in civilian life, from sports injuries, falling objects or high-speed collisions. Helmets are common in the military, construction, mining, and some sports, including American football, baseball, ski, snowboarding, ice hockey, equestrian sports, motorsports, and rock climbing. Motorcycle helmets and bicycle helmets are compulsory headgear in some jurisdictions; in the United Kingdom only Sikhs are allowed to ride motorcycles without wearing motorcycle helmets. Bicycle helmet compulsion and even strong promotion has been a heated subject of debate amongst cyclists and scientists since at least the 1990s, lately focusing on alleged net protective effect at the population level. A few decades ago, helmets were rarely seen, except for on extreme athletes or the overly fearful. Today, we’ve realized the importance of protecting our skulls, and many countries have enforced mandatory helmet laws for cyclists. Speaking to this are a wide range of helmets, available in a range of innovative designs. We’ve seen aesthetically pleasing helmet covers, eco-friendly bamboo caps, helmets for clumsy toddlers, and helmets with supplementary functionality like wireless technology. There are even helmets out there with no safety features at all, like the luxury scalp massager. Creative marketers caught onto the trend, and made an attempt at “headvertising.” Early history of helmets First helmets manufactured and sold by the company RT-2 1946-1953
The Riddell Tenite II helmet was the first helmet manufactured and sold by the company. Tenite II was the shell material, which was manufactured by Tennessee Eastman Corporation. Its chemical name was cellulose acetate butyrate. The shell of this helmet was composed of three separate pieces. The right and left halves were assembled, and the solvent assembled joint was reinforced by the third member. This member was a piece of extruded Tenite II that was solvent assembled over the joint of the two halves. The head and neck suspension was manufactured from a cotton webbing. This was a three-loop, six-point, standard suspension.
 RK-4 1954-1966
This helmet was the same mold and the same structure as the RT-2, however the shell material was changed to Riddell Kralite, whose chemical name was Acrilonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS). ABS was first manufactured for us by U.S. Rubber. In 1955, we changed to the Marbon Corporation. In 1957, the cotton webbing was replaced by a combination cotton-nylon webbing, still in the three-loop, six-point, standard configuration.
 TK-5 1955-1966
This helmet was the first manufactured and sold with a one-piece shell. The TK stands for TruKurv, referring to the configuration of the one piece shell. The shell material was ABS and the suspension, a three-loop, six-point, standard suspension, was initially cotton. In 1957, it was changed to a combination cotton-nylon webbing.
 RK-2 1961-1969
This was an RK-4 with the six-loop, twelve-point, multi-crown suspension instead of the three- loop, six-point, standard suspension.
 RK-2L 1961-1969
This helmet was the same as and RK-2, except it had an extra-large shell to accommodate head sizes above 7 7/8.
RAC-K2 1965-1969
This helmet was an RK-2 with an Aero-Cell Suspension, which consisted of the multi-crown webbed suspension plus eight Riddell Aero-Cells placed between the shell and suspension.
RAC-K2L 1965-1969
This helmet was the same as an RAC-K2, except it had an extra-large shell to accommodate head sizes above 7 7/8.
 TK-2 1962-1978
When first manufactured, this helmet was experimental, using the six-loop, twelve-point, multi- crown suspension, in a one-piece polycarbonate shell. In 1963, it became necessary to discontinue the experimental polycarbonate shell due to its extreme sensitivity in the presence of lacquer solvents and many detergents. These materials imbrittled the polycarbonate to such a degree that nearly all of the strength properties were lost. The further use of the TK-2 designation was given to the six-loop, twelve-point, multi-crown suspension, mounted in an ABS shell. So from 1962 on the TK-5 had the standard suspension and the TK-2 had the multi-crown suspension. In 1969, the shell material was changed from ABS to an alloy of polycarbonate, Kralite II.
RAC-H2 1965-1969
This helmet was the same as a TK-2, with the addition of eight Aero-Cells placed between the multi-crown suspension and the ABS shell.
RAC-H8 1969 -1978
This helmet was also the same as a TK-2, with the addition of eighteen Aero-Cells plus a vinyl foam head liner in addition to the multi-crown suspension.
TK-2AC 1970-1973
This helmet was the same as an RAC-H2, except the shell was polycarbonate alloy instead of ABS. It had eight Aero-Cells in addition to the multi-crown suspension.
TK-2L 1971-1973
This helmet was the same as a TK-2. except it had an extra large suspension to accommodate head sizes above 7 3/4.
JR-6 1966
This helmet was the same as TK-2, except the webbed suspension was green.
MICRO-FIT 1970-1981
This helmet contained four elements of impact absorption. They are the one piece KRA-Lite II shell, air-cells, fluid cells, and pad inserts. The air-cells are inflatable, and are designed for inflation while the helmet is on the user's head, providing a custom fit for each individual. By inflating the appropriately placed air cells, an entire team can be fitted with two shell sizes, the HA-91 for sizes 6 ½ to 7, and the HA-92 for 7 1/8 to 7 3/4.
TAK-29 1970-1978
This helmet consisted of a combination of the features of the TK-2 and the Micro-Fit. It had the one piece Kra-Lite II shell, with a six-loop, twelve-point, Multi-crown suspension. However, the webbed neck suspension was removed and replaced with the inflatable neck piece from the Micro-Fit.
PAC-3 1974-1982
This was the padded aero-cell helmet. It consisted of an interior system of thirty-two or thirty- three individual vinyl air cushions (depending on shell size) with layers of fitting and energy absorbing foam, in a one-piece Kra-Lite II shell.
PAC-3XL 1976-1982
This helmet was the same as the PAC-3, except it has an extra large shell to accommodate head sizes above 7 7/8.
PAC-44 1975-1994
This was a youth helmet. It had the vinyl air cushion interior the same as the PAC-3, but the shell was of ABS. It was designed for use through the ninth grade. Helmet innovations Helmet for pets  Exclusively for pets! Made of high impact ABS plastic the same plastic used in construction hard hats. Designed with safety and comfort in mind, “The Helmet” can protect a pet’s head from wind, windblown objects and other irritants when riding on a motorcycle, in a car, truck or boat. Excellent for blind dogs or any pet that requires protection from minor head trauma when bumping into things. Does your dog have stand-up ears? Not to worry....."The Helmet” was designed so that it does not rest flat on the head. The customizable foam pads that are included fit between the ears, not over them. This prevents “The Helmet” from pushing the ears flat to the head. Extreme Cam from Oregon Scientific  For all viral enthusiasts, the Extreme Cam from Oregon Scientific is just for you. The camera could be attached on a helmet or during sports and stunt activities. It has 2mb of internal memory which is expandable via SD card to up to 2GB and could record at up to 640×480 at 30fps. It doesn’t boast hi-def resolution capture but enough to record decent videos that you can share through the intenet.
Massager helmet The device will leave you feeling like hundreds of fingers are pampering your skull. “The cap fits comfortably on any head and easily adjusts to accommodate different sizes,” Scientifics says. “The patented design is lightweight and easy to use while at your office desk, on the morning commute, or while enjoying your evening television program.” Wireless helmet for players A handful of college have come together and will be working with Simbex and their Head Impact Telemetry system. The HIT is a helmet-system that can be commercially purchased and will monitor head acceleration (impact), rotational acceleration, duration, location, time and more for monitoring the noggin of a football player. It will then shoot the information wirelessly to a computer that can analyze the data and monitor the players. It will even warn when an impact could be injurious. The overall goal of the HIT system is to discover the causes of mild brain injuries that are often suffered in contact sports such a football, but keeping check on the student-athletes in college football programs is definitely another perk.  The HIT System™ is the first and only (commercially available) system that can measure head accelerations (impacts) in real-time during games and practices. The HIT System's sensor/encoder, contains impact sensors, a processor and transmitter, and transforms any helmet or headgear into a head impact monitor.
A data collector receives impact data continuously from encoders that can be hundreds of meters away, and can monitor dozens of players or soldiers simultaneously. Our proprietary software analyzes those data and sends a pager warning if any impact has a potentially injurious profile.
The data collector stores all of the key signatures of the impacts: peak linear acceleration, rotational acceleration, duration, location, time stamp, etc, for future analysis. After more than a decade of research (supported in part by the National Institutes of Health), the HIT System was put to the test in the crucible of elite college and high school football stadiums and practice fields. Using the HIT System™ we have recorded over one-quarter of a million impacts and corresponding head injury data. Simbex and partner researchers are using the analysis of these data to shed new light on the biomechanical causes of mild traumatic brain injuries. This research may lead to advancements in protective equipment or other injury reduction strategies. Toshiba Bubble helmet - 360 Degree view  Toshiba launches Bubble Helmet gives a 360-degree panorama view when watching movies or playing games.The helmet weighs 6-pounds which is pretty heavy and will heavily impact the look on one's face seeing you wear one of those. The release date and price is still to be confirmed.
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