If you’ve ever seen a motorcycle, you know that there isn’t much protecting you in the event of an accident. A company is here to change that by introducing inflatable airbag jeans that offer protection for motorcyclists’ lower body in case of accidents.
While inflatable accessories for protecting motorcyclists aren’t new, Swedish company Mo’cycle claims that they have created the world’s first airbag jeans. The jeans are made out of Armalith, a special fabric that looks and feels like actual denim but is actually water-repellent and abrasion-resistant.
The inflatable jeans come with built-in airbags that get triggered during motorcycle accidents to protect the rider’s lower body. The revolutionary use of airbag technology in the special jeans offers protection for the thighs, hips, and the back of the torso in the hopes of preventing spinal column injuries.
An extra special feature of the Mo’cycle airbag jeans is that they are reusable, even if the airbags go off. They are meant to be deflated and can be hooked up to another compressed air canister for other future uses.
If you’re worried about setting off the jeans, you don’t have to worry. Mo’cycle claims that the trigger requires a force of at least 88 pounds to release, which means that only a fall off the vehicle is essentially the only way to activate the airbags.
“The only impact protection you have in regular motorcycle jeans is basically the knee protectors and sometimes you get hip protectors,” Mo’cycle founder and designer Moses Shahrivar said. “Most injuries occur on the lower body in a serious motorcycle accident, so for 17 years I’ve been trying to solve this problem. What the airbag did for cars is about to happen to us motorcycle riders.”
The Mo’cyle airbag jeans will become commercially available sometime soon, with a reported starting price of $499. Not too bad for something that could save your life.