A brain-cooling device for crash helmets could save hundreds of lives in the UK each year.

The patented invention developed at Sussex University’s Innovation Centre, called ThermaHelm™, performs like an instant ice pack when activated by sudden impact. It reduces brain swelling and the risk of long-term brain damage and extends the critical window paramedics and Accident & Emergency teams have to perform their life-saving skills.

The advent of this innovation takes crash helmet safety to an unprecedented level and represents the biggest step-change in crash helmet advancement for over 50 years. Although the invention is at prototype stage, it has prompted significant interest from safety helmet manufacturers in Europe and Japan. It is a manufacturer-installed integration within the lining of the helmet and has no adverse impact on the overall integrity of the helmet.

The development team, led by inventor Jullian Preston-Powers and Riccardo Anzil, believes the brain-cooling device can be adapted for all activities where safety helmet use is necessary.

The technology has been praised by the Government’s UK Trade and Investment division, which has officially green-lighted the company into the Global Entrepreneurs Programme as a “Technology of Exceptional Potential.”

 Latest Department for Transport figures (2008) show that over 28,000 motorcycle accidents resulted in around 5,500 serious injuries and 500 fatalities in the Great Britain alone. Of these, many involved Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) that could have been mitigated by the ThermaHelm brain cooling device. 

Jullian Preston-Powers said the concept was acknowledged by the scientific and medical communities, but never before had anybody explored how to build it into a crash helmet. He said: “It has long been recognised that neurological deterioration in trauma victims is dramatically reduced when a hypothermic state is induced. “Medical practitioners have made use of this knowledge by deliberately inducing mild hypothermia in some patients prior to emergency treatment or during surgical operations. It causes the body’s vital functions to slow down, thus reducing the chances of brain damage occurring in the patient.”

Jullian said that by taking these medical advances and applying the science to the area of Traumatic Brain Injury opened up a world of exciting new life-saving opportunities. “This is a hugely exciting innovation that has the potential to save thousands of lives around the world every year,” he said. “There has been strong interest from helmet manufacturers in Europe and Japan, and we are now working hard to turn that interest into firm licensing agreements that will give riders better fortification against long-term brain damage and death in the event of an accident.”

The prototype is now undergoing trials and, upon their successful completion, is expected to go into full-time production by May 2010. The ThermaHelm team has had strong support from UK Trade & Investment’s Global Entrepreneur Programme, which attracts some of the world’s best entrepreneurs and early stage technology companies to use the UK as their springboard to global success.

Derek Goodwin, Head of the Global Entrepreneurs Programme at UK Trade & Investment, saw the potential of the invention at an early stage.

He said: “We are very impressed with the approach taken by Jullian Preston-Powers in developing his new brain cooling crash helmet technology. We look forward to helping ThermaHelm reach global markets with their innovation and becoming a worldwide life saving advancement applicable to all forms of safety helmets.”

ThermaHelm has been working on this product for two years from its research base, called Innovation Stream, at the Sussex Innovation Centre in Brighton, East Sussex. The centre is part of Sussex University and has given great support and guidance to the development of the technology.

The ThermaHelm™ team has been liaising with Bridget Harris at the University of Edinburgh, who is developing a stationary brain-cooling helmet for universal placement in hospital ER and A&E departments in collaboration with Eurotherm – a Europe-wide study to further prove the definitive benefits of brain cooling. 

How it works

Two light-weight and non-toxic chemical packs are integrated into the helmet lining. They contain multiple trigger points to allow the chemicals to mix and initiate the endothermic (cold) reaction. One chemical pack contains water, the other ammonium nitrate. A sudden impact will cause a membrane to break, allowing the water to mix into the ammonium nitrate.

The endothermic reaction is immediate and cools the brain through small veins in the scalp called emissary capillaries. As the reaction is progressive, heat from the head will be continually absorbed. The cooling process lasts approximately 30-45 minutes and will maintain stable brain temperatures during this time. A hot and expanded brain flattens the blood ways, starving the brain tissue of vital oxygen. If the brain’s temperature can be stabilised, the accident victim is much more likely to avoid Traumatic Brain Injury and so increase his/her chances of survival.

A major benefit of the ThermaHelm ice pack is that the head remains cool without the need to take off the crash helmet, which could aggravate spinal or neck injuries sustained in the accident. Motorcycle helmets should only be removed following assessment by a medic. 

The benefits of a hypothermic state in trauma victims have been recognised for hundreds of years. In the early 19^th Century, wounded soldiers in the Napoleonic Wars who were left out in the cold had a greater survival rate than their counterparts kept warm by camp fires. More recently, doctors have deliberately induced mild hypothermia in patients prior to emergency treatment during surgical operations.

The ThermaHelm brain-cooling device can be integrated into the manufacture of most standard motorcycle helmets. It is likely to add approximately £150 to the overall price tag. Research is ongoing to see if it is feasible to retrospectively fit the technology into existing helmets.

ThermaHelm™ branded impenetrable carbon fibre helmets will also be available, and will be competitively priced from £299 to £499.

Blue Monday has been established as the worst day of the year and this year it falls on the 18th January.

So, with Christmas over and your initial New Year resolutions starting to fade why not make a new resolution something that you will find easy to stick to and get on to two wheels or doing something with your motorcycle that you have never done before. 
You can over come the most depressing day of the year by planning your motorcycle adventures for 2010. 
Training - Firstly, for people who don't ride, or have lapsed or maybe only ever completed a CBT, now's the time to reap the economic and social benefits of a powered two-wheeler.

The Motor Cycle Industry is making it easier than ever before to help interested people take their first steps into the world of motorcycling by offering a free experience, with a local trainer, that will get the riding and ready to go further in one hour at no expense.

A dedicated website has been set up to help you search for a local trainer, so go online and take those first steps at www.geton.co.uk

Kit - Motorcycles and the all important kit have come along way in the last 25 years. Recently, some guinea pigs were subjected to climatic challenges at the Motor Industry Research Association's £5 million climatic chamber to compare the kit from the 80's to the most up to date products on offer. High tech fabrics and new designs resulted in warm and safe riders who were happy to ride in both cold and wet conditions with no detrimental effects to the experience.

Experience - More and more people are enjoying off-road adventures and over land travel experiences on bikes. There is a growing number of companies that provide tours to anywhere any everywhere from Canada to Africa.

MCI's Spokesperson Steve Kenward CEO  said " Don't be brought down by 'Blue Monday', you can do something positive to challenge it.

"Motorcycles and scooters are the best way to beat the ongoing credit crunch and turn the daily commute into a joy.  Two wheels will let you move through traffic, with ease. Not only that, in London they are exempt from congestion charge and can also use bus lanes.

"If you are looking for a fun and economical way to commute then start this new year differently and put on your leathers and join the 1.5million other converts. "

For more information on passing your test and other useful information go to www.mcia.co.uk

A new device designed to cool the brain in cases of severe head impacts could be used to prevent long-term injuries amongst front-line soldiers.

ThermaHelm Brain-Cooling Technology could be adopted into military helmets before the end of 2010, helping to save thousands of soldiers from the long-term effects of traumatic brain injury each year.

Product developers Jullian Powers and Riccardo Anzil of ThermaHelm Limited created ThermaCap at the cutting-edge Sussex Innovation Centre in response to a call for medical improvements in battlefield medicine by the Centre for Defence Enterprise, the research arm of the Ministry of Defence.

ThermaCap® performs a number of tasks:

The technology has been praised by the Government’s UK Trade and Investment division, which is working with the ThermaHelm™ team to reach international markets.

The device has been included in UKTI’s Global Entrepreneur Programme and will be promoted through 100 British embassies around the world.

Jullian Powers said: “We are confident ThermaCap can build on the effectiveness of ThermaHelm to help treat soldiers in action all over the world.

“It has long been recognised that neurological deterioration in trauma victims is dramatically reduced when a hypothermic state is induced.

“Medical practitioners have made use of this knowledge by deliberately inducing mild hypothermia in patients prior to emergency treatment or during surgical operations. It causes the body’s vital functions to slow down, thus reducing the chances of brain damage occurring in the patient.”

Jullian added that by taking these medical advances and applying them to the area of TBI (Traumatic Brian Injury) opened up a world of exciting new lifesaving opportunities.

The ThermaHelm™ team has been given great support by top dealmaker Eric Van Der Kleij

from UK Trade and Investment, the Government’s international business development organisation.

Derek Goodwin, Head of the Global Entrepreneurs Programme at UK Trade & Investment saw the potential of the invention years ago.

He said: “We are very impressed with the approach taken by Jullian Preston. Powers in developing his new brain cooling technology. We look forward to helping ThermaHelm reach global markets with their innovation and becoming a worldwide life saving advancement.”

ThermaHelm has been clandestinely developing its inventions for two years from an incubator base at the Sussex Innovation Centre in Brighton, East Sussex. The innovation centre is part of Sussex University and its director Mike Herd has given great support and guidance to the company’s technologies.

ThermaHelm’s Chief Technology Officer, Riccardo Anzil is also head of new products development at Innovation Stream and the inventor of a seatbelt airbag device designed to minimise the effects of seatbelts injuring passengers in high speed impacts.

The ThermaHelm™ team has been liaising with the University of Edinburgh, who are taking part in a Europe-wide study into brain cooling known as the EuroTherm3235 Trial.

How it Works:

Westminster City Council’s decision to make permanent their controversial scheme for motorcycle parking charges could have national implications and therefore makes it more important than ever that motorcyclists fight this retrograde move say the 80,000 strong British Motorcyclists Federation.

Although currently only affecting Westminster, the parking order takes effect on 25th January and the bmf say that with other Local Authorities across the country watching the situation closely, motorcyclists could soon be faced with the nationwide rollout of parking charges. If this were to happen say the No To the Bike Parking Tax (NTBPT) campaign, their supporters, the Tax Payers Alliance, have calculated that it would cost the motorcycle community a staggering £93,000,000 pa in parking charges.

A strong supporter of the NTBPT campaign, the bmf is supporting the NTBPT street protest on 4th February ( www.notobikeparkingfees.com), but is also calling on all motorcyclists nationally to support the NTBPT legal challenge fighting fund.  Currently standing at some £30,000, the fund needs at least another £20,000 to meet the expected minimum legal costs of £50,000 (see www.notobikeparkingfees.com/fighting-fund/ to donate.)

Commenting Chris Hodder, the bmf’s Government Relations Executive said “These parking charges run contrary to the Government’s aim to ‘mainstream’ motorcycling but the only option now available is to overturn the scheme in the courts. If we don’t, this could spell the nationwide end of free parking for motorcycles. Now is the time to stand up and be counted and support the NTBPT fighting fund.”

Warren Djanogly, leader of the NTBPT campaign said:  “Councillor Chalkley’s decision to make the scheme permanent has opened a window for us to launch a full legal challenge. It’s going to be expensive but if just 5,000 bikers contributed £10 each (less than a tank of fuel), we can beat this evil stealth tax.”

Note:

In backing the ‘No To the Bike Parking Tax’ (NTBPT) campaign, the bmf point out that where public transport does not serve a commuter’s needs and cycling is not a practical option, motorcycles and scooters, especially for low paid key workers, provide the ideal solution. With their efficient use of space they do not cause congestion, are able to filter through traffic congestion and when parked only take one eighth of a car parking space. They are also environmentally friendly, comply with current European emission limits and, coupled with their ability to avoid dense traffic, pollute far less than slow moving four-wheeled traffic. 

Currently organising for a 3rd year and up to date have raised a total of around £65,000 for Macmillan Cancer support.

History from Shirley Ann, event coordinator

I began organising this event back in 2008 when my best friend, Allison became quite poorly with breast cancer, she had inspired me to learn to ride a bike when I was at a very low point in my life. I felt that if I could organise a small group of women to read the west coast of Scotland and raise money from your income to support there would be giving something back and also inspiring women to go further and perhaps they would have dared.

The Scottish ride is now becoming very well-known, as we have branded the run with pink. We have a total of 100 bikers predominantly women who wear high visibility pink vests and Mohicans on the helmets.

We have a small number of men take part in a fabulous way, as they all wear decorated bras over their leathers and the best bra is judged when we finish in George Square in Glasgow, the prize being an Aira helmet... so they are in their sheds as we speak, engineering the most amazing bras.

We have great fun, we make many friends, we raise a lot of money, and we want more to know about us. This years event takes place on the 28th to 31st May and the route takes you around the west coast of Scotland.

www.breastwayround.com