In a sign that that U.S. PPE manufacturers are looking to refresh the classic hardhat design, Ergodyne is offering a helmet equipped with the Multidirectional Impact Protection System, an innovation designed to better isolate the brain from the shocks associated with falls and collisions. It is the second U.S. manufacturer to announce a MIPS-equipped construction helmet, after Protective Industrial Products announced a MIPS model of its Dynamic Rocky safety helmet earlier this summer. Ergodyne's helmet is the first to market in the U.S.
The new Ergodyne helmet, marketed under Skullerz brand, uses an isolated inner frame that can move independently of the helmet. This can reduce the rotational energy that can cause brain shear, a condition in which the brain is abruptly rattled around inside the skull due to an impact. This kind of shock is the cause of many traumatic brain injuries, particularly those associated with angled or side impacts to the head.