: Australian Design: CORE body Armour

By: g | No Comments » |

It’s nice to see some local talent having a go at designing for the bike world. The first of two installments we’ve found in this year’s Australian Design Awards, is called ‘CORE Mountain bike body Armour’.

Rather than trying to descibe it, the Steve Whelan’s (from the Uni of SA)  entry reads as follows:

Product Description and Principal Function(s)

CORE Mountain Bike Body Armour is a modular personal protection system for people who participate in off-road bike riding such as cross-country, trail riding and downhill bike riding.

Even though extreme bike riding is experiencing tremendous technological innovation, I realized that personal protection had virtually come to a standstill, with most brands offering almost identical products with the same problems.

The CORE Armour is an innovative answer to the stereotypical image of body protection. It challenges issues of material choices, forms, modularity, safety and most importantly, function.

Why does the product represent design excellence and why do you believe it deserves an Australian Design Award?

FUNCTION AND SAFETY
From interviewing riders, it became apparent that many wanted more in terms of impact protection for the upper torso. It was also brought to my attention that many riders wear a back pack with a water bladder inside for the sole purpose of providing extra shock absorption for the spine in the event of a crash. The CORE Armour has simply combined the body armour and back pack into one, providing extra spine protection and allowing the rider to stay hydrated, whilst eliminating the need to carry extra baggage.

MODULAR DESIGN
Having each main part separate from the next means that different combinations can be achieved to suit the type of riding being done. For example, if the user was participating in gentle trail riding, then they could just wear the shorts and rear protection. However, if the user were involved in more extreme downhill riding, then the whole suit would be worn for better safety.

The modular design also means that the product life is greatly extended because only damaged or worn parts could be replaced without having to throw away the entire product.

COMFORT
The entire project has been inspired by the back packs seen in the market today. Conventional body armour is essentially a ‘shirt’ form that is worn over the body. The CORE Armour instead uses a ‘back pack’ form to achieve a much more stable fit to the body which reduces movement and slipping when riding and crashing.

EFFICIENCY
The most important technical innovation to the CORE Armour is addition of unique slot-clips which are found on the chest protection. These clips, which fasten the chest piece to the shoulder straps of the rear armour, means that zips and Velcro can be eliminated from the product altogether. The use of these unreliable fasteners was a wide-spread problem with almost every rider.

These clips are more durable, stronger and user-friendly, allowing easy application and removal even while wearing gloves.

FORM
The aesthetics of the CORE Armour was something that really needed to be unique. Most of the products in the market today look almost identical, so I wanted this product to stand out and show how far the form could be pushed while still remaining functional.

An ‘outer skin’ on both the front and rear of the armour tie all the components together with a symmetrical form that also creates an aggressive and sporty look.

MATERIALS
The bulk of the product uses Cordura Nylon fabric, a very tough and water-proof material that is found in many sporting goods today. Similar products in the marketplace use thin nylon mesh that stretches and tears easily, thus shortening its lifespan.

The shorts are made from denim, a popular fashion choice by many riders around the world. Denim fabric is also extremely durable, making it a perfectly fashionable, yet functional choice.

The hard plastic shoulder and spine plates are injection-molded Polypropylene, a standard material for these particular parts.

Highly efficient shock absorbing material is used throughout the CORE Armour in an effort to lessen the impact of a crash.

 

Tags:body armour,core,mtb


Share the love...?



Tweet

Leave a Reply...

You must be logged in to post a comment.