I’m unsure how many CG readers ride motorcycles, but I know my brother does so I’m sure he’ll appreciate this. Dainese, an Italian moto gear manufacturer, has been working on an airbag suit they’re hoping to bring to market in 2010. The Italian company has been working on this for 10 years and they tested it in a real world situation at last year’s MotoGP races in Valencia.
Team riders Marco Simoncelli, Simone Grotzky, and Michi Ranseder were the guinea pigs and they all happened to take spills in their respective races. The outcome was exactly what Dainese was looking for, the D-air racing air bag system deployed giving the riders a little more cushion than their carbon fiber armored leather suits offer.
I haven’t been following MotoGP this year, but I wonder if Valentino Rossi sports one of these suits.
One more video if you choose to read on.