Aussie Startup Will Scan Your Helmet To See If It's Safe To Use After A Crash

How can you tell if your motorcycle helmet is safe? Some manufacturers offer mail-away testing services to analyze your helmet’s integrity after a crash or drop, but this isn’t available for every brand. An Australian start-up called Helmet Doctors is looking to change that, with a new scanning service that will examine headgear from any manufacturer.

Father-son team Scott and Brayden Robinson started Helmet Doctors as a practical response to a real-life incident. Brayden suffered a fractured skull while motocross riding, causing him and his father to take a closer look at helmet safety. After the crash, Scott said Brayden’s helmet still looked like it was in good condition. Both of them saw a need for proper helmet examination, to ensure riders didn’t just slap on a compromised helmet after a crash and continue riding, without knowing about hidden damage.

Caring For Your Helmet:

PSA: UV Helmet Sanitizers Are Questionably Effective Or Safe

This Moto Jacket Turns Into A Backpack To Hold Your Helmet Off The Bike

---

---

The Robinsons are working on a localized testing system, available for all helmet brands. To do this, they’ve worked with the University of Queensland as well as a Belgian company, developing a laser-scanning procedure that analyzes a helmet’s integrity. Motorbike Writer says the scanner examines the helmet’s outer shell, checking for invisible damage in composite materials. The idea is, riders would drop their helmet off with a participating dealership which would send the suspect helmet to a central location for testing. The service would cost $40.

The problem, as always, is money. Helmet Doctors’ founders believe the proposed service would be a valuable option for racers and street riders, but starting operations would cost about $2 million AUD. They’ve already raised $500,000 in capital and nailed down a government grant for $1 million, so they’re well on their way. The economics will no doubt be tricky, but supposedly a motorcycle manufacturer is interested in including the Helmet Doctors’ service through its Australian dealership chain, which might help even out the financial aspect.

We want your opinion!

What would you like to see on Rideapart.com?

Take our 3 minute survey.

- The RideApart Team