Improving the Ventilation of Motorcycle Helmets

Use of motorcycles helmets significantly reduces the risk of fatality or serious brain injury to riders in the event of a crash, but riders often do not wear helmets in warm weather because of thermal discomfort. We propose to develop an innovative ventilation and cooling system that will maintain a cool, dry environment inside the helmet while also meeting applicable safety standards. The key innovations are: (1) increased airflow with optimally placed vents and reduced airflow resistance, (2) acoustic isolation to reduce noise generated by the increased airflow, and (3) a unique cooling helmet liner that removes both heat and humidity from the helmet interior. In Phase I, we will prove the feasibility of our approach through numerical modeling and laboratory tests. We will use the results to develop a detailed design concept for development and testing in Phase II.