Twelve years after the first prototype, Italian protective sportswear company Dainese introduced its D-air Racing suit to the U.S. market, making it the first of its kind to be sold in the country.
To the untrained eye, it may look like your ordinary set of racing leathers, but a closer look reveals the culmination of more than 10 years of research, development and testing by the likes of MotoGP champions Valentino Rossi and the late Marco Simoncelli. An intricate, electronically deployed airbag system protects the rider’s shoulders with improved protection of the upper chest and neck.
The “brain” of the system resides in the hump of the suit and includes three accelerometers, three gyroscopes, an A GPS unit, 2GB of internal memory, a lithium polymer battery and a pneumatic system to deploy the airbags.
What’s so special about this suit? It doesn’t require a physical connection to the motorcycle and knows if you’re being pitched into the air over the bike (called a high side) or involved in a lowside crash. The brain also records your telemetry, including speed and lean angle. You can even plot the acceleration data on Google Earth.
What all this amounts to is one of the most intelligent and protective pieces of racing gear to come to market. The D-air Racing suit will be available in June, with a starting price tag of $3,999.
– Peter Ha
Specifications
15 milliseconds – Triggering time in the most violent crash
135 ounces – Volume of the suit
85% – Reduction in force transferred to the shoulder
7 – Sensors that analyze the rider’s movements
1.4 pounds – Total weight of the system
4 patents – For exclusive technical features
To the untrained eye, it may look like your ordinary set of racing leathers, but a closer look reveals the culmination of more than 10 years of research, development and testing by the likes of MotoGP champions Valentino Rossi and the late Marco Simoncelli. An intricate, electronically deployed airbag system protects the rider’s shoulders with improved protection of the upper chest and neck.
The “brain” of the system resides in the hump of the suit and includes three accelerometers, three gyroscopes, an A GPS unit, 2GB of internal memory, a lithium polymer battery and a pneumatic system to deploy the airbags.
What’s so special about this suit? It doesn’t require a physical connection to the motorcycle and knows if you’re being pitched into the air over the bike (called a high side) or involved in a lowside crash. The brain also records your telemetry, including speed and lean angle. You can even plot the acceleration data on Google Earth.
What all this amounts to is one of the most intelligent and protective pieces of racing gear to come to market. The D-air Racing suit will be available in June, with a starting price tag of $3,999.
– Peter Ha
Specifications
15 milliseconds – Triggering time in the most violent crash
135 ounces – Volume of the suit
85% – Reduction in force transferred to the shoulder
7 – Sensors that analyze the rider’s movements
1.4 pounds – Total weight of the system
4 patents – For exclusive technical features
