78 AIRBAG JEANS

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WORLD'S FIRST AIRBAG JEANS FOR MOTORCYCLISTS

Swedish company Mo’cycle recently announced the world’s first airbag jeans which offer impact protection for motorcyclists’ lower bodies in case of accidents.

Inflatable accessories that protect motorcyclists in case of accidents are nothing new. We have seen a helmet with an inflatable add-on that acts as a cushion and a backpack-like strap-on designed to protect the wearer’s back from impact, but Swedish startup Mo’cycle claims to have created the world’s first airbag jeans.

Made out of Armalith, a special fabric that looks and feels like actual denim but is actually water-repellant and abrasion-resistant, the inflatable jeans come with built-in airbags that get triggered during motorcycle accidents to protect a rider’s lower body.

The company claims that it is revolutionary to use airbag technology to protect the first bone of the spinal column, because spinal column injuries are what paralyze motorcycle riders, adding that, apart from the tailbone, its special jeans offer protection for thighs, hips, and the back of the torso. Like regular motorcycle pants, they also come with protective knee pads.

An important characteristic of the airbag jeans is that they are completely reusable. Even if the airbags do go off, they can be deflated and then hooked up to another compressed air canister.

The trigger for the airbags needs to be connected to the motorcycle so that, when the rider falls off, the airbags are instantly activated.

In case you are worried that you might forget to detach the trigger from the motorcycle and accidentally activate the airbags, do not be. Mo’cycle claims that the trigger requires a force of at least 88 pounds (40kg) to release, which means that only a fall off the vehicle will activate the airbags. No need to worry about sneaky friends pulling the trigger as a prank.

“The only impact protections you have in regular motorcycle jeans are basically the knee protectors; sometimes, you get hip protectors,” Mo’cycle founder and designer Moses Shahrivar says. “Most injuries occur on the lower body during a serious motorcycle accident. For 17 years I have been trying to solve this problem. What the airbag did for cars, the airbag jeans will do for us motorcycle riders.”