Do you fall a lot? Are you someone people use the word clumsy to define? These belt airbags are just the thing for you. The belt detects whenever the wearer is about to fall and inflates the airbags which only take 80 milliseconds. The belt costs $790 and is equipped with two airbags that inflate above the hips to absorb impact.
According to the company, the belt airbags absorb 90% of the impact and actually anticipates the fall rather than just cushioning the impact. An earlier study showed that old people who fell and broke their hips were nearly three times in danger of dying the next year.
Helite is a company based in Dijon and specializes in airbags. Their new invention was unveiled at the CES this year and is definitely a lifesaver. The company claims that the average fall takes 0.4 seconds and the belt airbags only take 0.2 seconds. The belt can be attached with a simple click and if is positioned incorrectly, it keeps on beeping till it is corrected.
The company claims that even though the technology is new, it is nine times more effective than traditional pads. The gas canisters need to be refilled after every fall and cost around $50. The device only weighs one kilogram is worn above the hips. It will be available for pre-orders in March across Europe and in September for the US.
“Two airbags are integrated in a comfortable belt and inflate automatically over the hips when a fall is detected by the electronic system”, the company said. “The belt is ergonomic, light, easy to use and allows total freedom of movement.”
Analysis of eight studies of more than 122,000 people from the US and Europe found those with broken hips are 2.78 times more likely to die in the year afterwards. The study found that even after eight years, people with broken hips were at more than double the risk of dying, falling to 1.79 times after eight or more years.
This device can’t take down those numbers but it can certainly decrease the number of broken hips.
