What if?

Helmets have always been built to sacrifice their structure in order to protect the helmet wearer. But the conventional approach to absorb energy has always resulted in helmets that work like some kind of second skull, focusing their protection strategy on basic impacts that happen directly.

But we now know that it’s rotational forces generated by angled impacts that contribute to the stretching and shearing of brain tissue. We also know that doctors and scientists believe that this kind of damage is a primary cause of traumatic brain injury.

To mitigate these stretching and shearing forces, certain helmets are equipped with technology that allows a small amount of movement between the helmet and the skull during impact. The problem is that these systems are greatly limited as to how much they can physically move.

At RLS, our mission was to develop a system that was not limited in its range of movement during the critical milliseconds of an impact. A system to release concussive forces as much as technology can allow.  

Helmet being tested

We were busy developing a cycling helmet we hoped would show promising numbers for mitigating rotational force. One day while testing new ideas in the lab, the shell completely disconnected upon impact. Because this kind of thing happens all the time when moving fast and testing rough samples, we didn’t think anything of it. But when we saw the test results, we were floored.

Helmet productionHexr helmet being tested
Bearing production

It was a moment that gave us a very big, very different idea. To see it through, we knew we had to go all in. We expanded our own state of the art lab and built a bespoke production line under the same roof, so that we could innovate and iterate quickly. It was the epitome of rapid prototyping – design, build, test, repeat.

We’re still relentlessly innovating every day, working to better protect what makes humans human. The mind.

Helmet sensors adjusted for testing

We test like they test.
But we don’t work
like they work.

We intentionally use the same sensors, test methodologies and head forms as Mips, Virginia Tech and other test labs. We replicate the same impacts and use industry standards to evaluate TBI risk.

Drop test angled anvil

But testing methods are pretty much where the similarities end. Because where Mips relies on sliding, with only 10 - 15mm of relative motion, RLS allows for an unlimited range of outer-layer movement, through the full release of panels. How? By leveraging ball bearings that can roll with a rolling resistance that is 100 to 1,000 times lower than typical sliding friction coefficients.

Environmental testing on helmetHexr helmet testing

Never
forget         why

Palm trees at sunsetGirl riding on back of bicycleX-ray of a broken fingerBike riding in winter bootsA bike rider laying down on a patch of grassA leg of a bike riderTrail ridingStreet signGlass reflection of someone sitting at a cafe
A street signA street sign poleClose up of ball bearingsA rider laying on grassA close-up of ball bearingsCity during sunsetA bike rider joking aroundA dewey fieldClose up of a child's faceA dewey field

and
who.

We believe that current available brain-protection technology is simply not doing enough, and should work even better. And because 3rd party test data shows RLS can make a real difference in reducing the risk of TBIs, we believe we are making better happen.

At a higher level? We see our purpose is to keep humans, human. We see the innovation of brain-protection technology as protecting more than the human brain. We see it as helping to protect the human mind, which is what makes you, you. We see our job is protecting that.
‍
If you read no further, think of our “why” as a “who.” You, me, them, they, he, she and all of us.  

A group of riders looking down at camera
A piece of soy being broken by a pair of hands

While the brain itself is incredibly powerful, it’s also incredibly fragile. It’s actually quite similar to soft tofu. And if you’ve ever handled tofu, you know it doesn’t take much to break it apart.

Lucky for us, our “tofu brains” are encased in a relatively tough skull, and surrounded with cerebrospinal fluid. This “original brain protection strategy” is remarkably stable when confronted with direct or “linear” impact. But when we encounter a glancing blow, or land at an angle? That’s a different story.

When the skull impacts a surface at an angle, rotational force or “concussive force” is generated. Rotational force can cause damage and stretching to the axons in the brain, which doctors call “diffuse axonal injuries,” and believe are a primary cause of concussion and other Traumatic Brain Injuries.

Think about it for a minute. We were made to walk, run, and occasionally fight. We evolved big wrinkly brains to figure out how to stay away from danger. But as we got more and more inventive and clever, our other human tendency (denial) helped us get better and better at going faster and faster. Doing crazier and crazier things. And it’s time for technology to help close the gap.

A girl in sunglasses on her bike with her mom
RLS exists to keep you,
You mask

Glad to meet you.

Jamie Cook

Co-founder, CEO

Higor Alves de Freitas

Head of Technology

Maria Kaimaki

Head of Research

Cristian Sacco

Head of Production

Tony White

Chief Technology Officer

James Humphries

Product Developer

Theodore Dickson

Design Engineer

Archie Read

Product Developer

Theo Clarke

Operations Lead

Andrew Lau

Technician

Nirav Mehta

Technician

Darcy Thompson-Bagshaw

Research Engineer

Kayla White

Office Manager

Noah O ’ Sullivan

Production Engineer

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