ALPINESTARS LAUNCHES
TECH-AIR 5
A
lso at the Consumer Electronics
Show, Alpinestars has launched
the latest generation of its airbag
safety system – the Tech-Air 5.
Alpinestars has been one of the leading names
in active-airbag tech for some time, and the Tech-
Air 5 is latest generation of what the company
calls their “commitment to making the technology
more freely available as the best possible choice
of ‘active’ airbag protection on the market.”
As per previous generations, the Tech-Air 5
is a slim, self-contained wearable airbag vest
that can be worn under any proper fitting
textile jacket or Tech-Air compatible jacket.
Like we saw recently online, these jackets are
lifesavers and Alpinestars says the Tech-Air 5
offers unrivalled upper body protection, keeping
motorcycle riders safe by uniquely covering the
shoulders, chest, ribs and full back. Shoulder
protection is critical in a road impact and riders’
shoulders are uniquely protected by Tech-Air,
effectively and efficiently minimizing the risk of
the rider sustaining shoulder
and collarbone injuries.
The state-of-the-art Tech-Air 5 vest comes
with an active electronic system that features
90 KIWI RIDER
six integrated sensors (three gyroscopes and
three accelerometers) and a crash algorithm
that leverages AI to accurately monitor when
to deploy the airbag in the event of a crash.
The intelligent crash detection algorithm has
been developed together with the world’s top
MotoGP riders, and Alpinestars customers,
and includes over 2000 crashes of data to
accurately assess when to deploy a full airbag
inflation before the first impact with an
obstacle. Should the algorithm detect the start
of a crash, it will deploy a protective airbag,
with a maximum inflation time of 45ms.
The impact absorption while wearing the airbag
results in a decrease of the impact force by up to
93% compared to a passive protector, which is the
same protection as offered by 18 back protectors.
The airbag comes with a two inflators and a single
charge for street and light off-road capability.
The system is also extremely easy to use, just
zip up the vest, close the magnetic flap it’s good
to go. An LED display indicates the airbag’s
operational status and the integrated, certified
lithium ion battery has a battery life of 30
hours of riding time. The Tech-Air 5 also comes
equipped with a magnetic micro-USB charger that
allows quick, easy and convenient recharging.