New HANS design?

anthonyk

anthonyk

Giant Killer Racing
A canadian science show call "Daily Planet" on discovery did a piece on a new Head and Neck restraint system called the iHANS. Based on the design and name it is likely in concert with Jim Downing.

Hardly a new "helmet" design (from what I see) as they mention repeatedly but one could argue that the helmet will need to be updated and likely sold as a system.

http://watch.discoverychannel.ca/da...2/daily-planet---february-29-2012/#clip629383

Egress from a tin-top could be difficult but the sled test video is impressive.

Anthony
Calgary, AB
 
Does it not use a chin strap anymore? I don't otherwise see how that driver was able to turn his head inside the helmet. And you'd obviously need a seriously wide eyeport, too. Weird.
 
Well, I see potential in it BUT.... every driver will need a 'custom fit' to get the shoulder pad height relative to the top of the drivers head exactly right for it to do a thorough job. OR the base ring will have to slide up/down as needed during 1st fit.
 
It appears to hinder mobility a great deal. Notice how the driver is looking left and right and his head is moving INSIDE his helmet? Also, anyone guess what the over/under is on how long it takes them to get sued by Hubbard Downing?


I like this better and it's SFI 38.1 approved (guess who makes it for an extra internet point... Here's a hint: They've already battled legally with Hubbard Downing)

http://www.necksgen.com/

features.jpg
 
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Their test on the inverted / upside-down case is not accurate in so far as tech is concerned with an OW car! The top of the roll hoop down to the mid bulkhead or skid block (depending on which OW car is present), when drawing a straight line between the two points, the drivers head must be below (i think it's 2") of the line. And if a driver is belted in correctly and is in compliance with the tech rule, will not experience a spine crushing blow from being inverted in the car. youtube last years Indy Light race at Edmonton and you will see an accident early on in turn one where a car was inverted as a result of a corner dual and the driver walked away unscathed physically.... but not financially!

Also, HANS has been offering a harness which offers more left to right mobility for about two years as a result of drivers wanting just that. As Colin has astutely commented, the drivers head is what moves left to right inside the helmet and that in and of itself displays a poor fitting helmet.
 
A few years ago, Bob Spreen had a FM car drive over the top of him. When the transmission of the FM came off the roll hoop behind Bob's head, it came down on the top of Bob's helmet, causing a fracture of one of Bob's vertibra. Bob credits the HANS he was wearing for keeping the helmet from being pushed even lower. The system looks like an improvement in that it will do a better job of keeping such weight off the neck. The cost is that the damage is transferred to the shoulders and ribs. The human body can only withstand so much. Now if they can fix the head movement within the helmet, they may have something.
 
colin_koehler said:
It appears to hinder mobility a great deal. Notice how the driver is looking left and right and his head is moving INSIDE his helmet? Also, anyone guess what the over/under is on how long it takes them to get sued by Hubbard Downing?


I like this better and it's SFI 38.1 approved (guess who makes it for an extra internet point... Here's a hint: They've already battled legally with Hubbard Downing)

http://www.necksgen.com/

features.jpg
Click to expand...

I suspect the iHANS is being developed in conjunction with Hubbard and Downing, the lab is just setting up the test cases for the development of the project

I originally was also concerned about the lack of chin strap and head movement but after thinking about it, I am wondering why it is a concern. If the helmet system is rigidly mounted and the heat permits some torsional movement why is that bad? Is this just a different way of thinking?

The above looks very "defenderish"

A
 
I'd be inclined to like a free floating "disk" between the helmet and the HANS, rather than the one-piece deal. This would allow us to use current helmets, and to move our heads somewhat in making egress from the car. Having my head locked in one place scares the tar out of me...
 
Rob's story about me is correct. Blair's reference to the minimum clearance between the belted-in driver's head and a line from the front and rear roll hoops in on open wheel car is also correct. Being 6'4" tall fitting into a Crossle 35 was always going to be a challenge, so the answers were a custom seat (right on the floor of the car), moving the pedal cluster forward so I could slide down inside further, changing the entire rear roll hoop to a 3" taller dimension, and the addition of "intrusion bars" horizontally connecting the front and rear roll hoops at the level of the cockpit surround. The FM still compressed my spine because (as I was told - I have no memory of much of that day) while airborne the FM slightly rotated and fit nicely between the roll hoops in a diagonal fashion. The rear roll hoop did a great job of deflecting some of the weight of the car, but the real savior was the HANS. The lower edge of my Arai helmet (thanks Arai!) bottomed on the HANS and resisted further downward movement and pressure on my spine, limiting the injury to two fractures on vertebra C1. A later personal meeting (and hugs, thanks and an autograph on my mangled helmet) with Bob Hubbard confirmed they were studying a number of similar saves by the HANS, usually involving an inverted open wheel car and the task of keeping the driver's own car from weighing on his spine.

The HANS device, and the response of Conference's Angels in White are clearly why I did not become a sad Conference statistic. As I said then, and have said before on this forum, I would not get into any race car without a HANS device any more than I would race wearing a T-shirt and a leather helmet. It is one-tenth the cost of one of those wheelchairs you steer with your teeth.

All the best,

Bob Spreen
 
Ah, my dear Mr. Spreen, it's so nice to see your name pop up! And I was JUST thinking about you while reading a column in our Canadian newspaper the Globe & Mail about the [very] tall Indy Car driver Justin Wilson. I'm going to try to copy the link, I hope it works ... the first link had "issues"!

globeandmail.com, Canada's leading source for online news:

IndyCar drivers count on new chassis to watch their backs
“Like someone had hit me with a baseball bat” says one driver of the crash that broke his back
Read the full article online at http://www.theglobeandmail.com/glob...-chassis-to-watch-their-backs/article2359393/

Very interesting and informative article, with input from a true expert on racing injuries, Dr. Terry Trammell.

I'm so very VERY glad your accident had the outcome it did ... now if I could only figure out a way to get you back into your Club Ford and on track!!!

Hugs my friend.
 
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Purchased one tonight at 425 motorsports. I really like the quick release mechanism, it's vastly more efficient than the HANS product in the hand. Will be field testing next weekend.
 
Yes, it's a Defnder variant, but looks a lot different than the original.

Do note that their website says not sold in Georgia. That's where HANs is headquartered.
I guess this is to make it harder for yet another lawsuit by HANs.

The main reason I bought a Defnder (which NextGen also has) is the side straps.
Both of these restraints have side straps to keep your head in place during side impacts -- the HANs does nothing here.

And both have great quick release systems.
 
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Had an opportunity to run with the Necksgen device this last weekend. A few anecdotal observations;

-Getting in and out of the car is no different from the HANS

-It fit just fine into a smallish OMP seat with integral head restraint "wings"

-Comfort wise over the clavicle, it was better than a HANS. The Necksgen has a bridge of material in this area that form fits much better.

-The quick release mechanism for the tether of the Necksgen is very simple and functionally vs. the HANS quick release there is simply no comparison. It wouldn't be an overstatement to just say that the Necksgen quick release works, and the HANS, well it is so poor that it basically doesn't. My particular race car has a very tight egress, which really means that an emergency exit requires releasing the tethers of whatever device so that I can squirm throught the opening. The HANS quick release product isn't easy to use and usually requires some futzing, not a good feature when you want it to work right now, picture being inverted and on fire. The Necksgen quick release mechanism is very easy to find and utilize, the exact thing I want.

-The design of the belt retention features is also superior to the HANS. Once the shoulder harness belt is in place on the Necksgen, I can't see how it would be able to slip off if there was any tension on it at all. Can't say the same for a HANS, there have been many occasions where I have found myself adjusting the placement of the shoulder harnesses onto the HANS, which isn't a great thing.

Overall, I am very pleased with the Necksgen, and would recommend this product over a HANS for anyone considering a head and neck restraint.

The one caveat is that currently GRAND-AM requires an approved head and neck restraint, and as of now only approves the HANS device. NASA and SCCA requires a head and neck restraint device that meets SFI 38.1, the Necksgen does meet this standard.
 
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Randy....while one needs to eggress with helmet on in an emergency, how easy is this to put on once inside the car? I usually "helmet up" inside the car and also remove my helmet and hans in the car after the race.

Thanks....

Bill-
 
As does their previous iteration, the DefNder.
In fact, you can send in your DefNder and get it re-certified for another 5 years (if certs are required).
You can still buy the straps and other hardware too.

I slide my DefNder and helmet as one over my head while in the car.
If a 6' 5" guy can do this in an RX-7, you should have no issue doing same in almost anything else.
I suspect the Necksgen to be the same.
 
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