The head and neck restraint ushered in a new era of safety in professional and amateur motorsports. Not long after the HANS device was introduced, more and more head and neck support devices began to appear on the market. The market settled a bit, but a new device has just received SFI 38.1 certification, so we figured it was worth pointing out to NASA membership.
Meru bills the Ascent Carbon as the newest and best technology in the head and neck restraint market for concussion prevention. The device applies the industry-changing Inertia Dampening System to drastically reduce concussion causing forces without giving up any neck safety. The Ascent Carbon Brace is a full carbon head and neck restraint with stainless and aluminum hardware. A hydraulic shock absorber is built into the backplate of the device to help dampen head movement throughout the entire length of impact.
The device features hollow carbon fiber collar with nonslip belt grips, fire-resistant Kevlar tethers and magnetic locating helmet anchors. The Meru device features a hinged collar and headrest design with an integrated hydraulic shock absorber designed to reduce concussions by 80 percent in forces up to 70g, according to Meru. $1,250 at time of publication.
Ingenious. They made a better mouse trap. Very innovative.