Alpinestars has been redefining protection for motorcyclists ever since the company was established in 1963, and now it has launched Tech-Air® 5, the all-new, autonomous motorcycling airbag system.
Tech-Air® 5 is the latest addition to the Alpinestars Tech-Air® family, which includes the Tech-Air® Race and Tech-Air® Street systems. Alpinestars continues to lead the way in active air-bag technology for riders and their passengers and Tech-Air® 5 is a powerful demonstration of Alpinestars commitment to making the technology more freely available as the best possible choice of ‘active’ airbag protection in the market.
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 or any leather jacket with 4 cm of space around the circumference of the rider’s chest. Tech-Air® 5 offers unrivaled upper body protection keeping motorcycle riders safe by uniquely covering the rider’s shoulders, chest, ribs and full back. Shoulder protection is critical in a road impact, and rider’s shoulders are uniquely protected by Tech-Air®, effectively and efficiently minimizing the risk of the rider sustaining shoulder and collarbone injuries. Alpinestars Tech-Air® 5 provides the most comprehensive coverage of any airbag currently available.
The state-of-the-art, wearable Tech-Air® 5 vest comes with an active electronic system that features six integrated sensors (3 gyroscopes and 3 accelerometers) and a crash algorithm that leverages AI to accurately monitor when to deploy the airbag in the event of a crash. Developed from years of research with over 50% of the world’s top MotoGP riders, and Alpinestars customers, riding data from millions of kilometers and thousands of crashes have been analyzed to continuously improve the intelligent crash detection algorithm.
Upon the identification of a crash situation, a protective airbag is deployed, providing unrivaled protection to the rider with a maximum inflation time of 20 to 40ms based on the volume of the airbag size. The impact absorption while wearing the airbag results in a decrease in the impact force by up to 95% compared to a passive protector. The Tech-Air® 5 airbag system offers the same protection as that provided by 18 back protectors.
The system is also extremely easy to use, just zip up the vest and close the magnetic flap and you’re ready to ride. 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 system comes equipped with a magnetic micro USB charger that allows quick, easy and convenient recharging.
Tech-Air® 5 has Bluetooth connectivity and an accompanying Tech-Air® App, which uses the rider’s phone to display the system’s operational status, battery status and a detailed analysis of a ride; the system’s firmware can also be updated directly via the app.
Nearly 20 years ago, Alpinestars began development on the original Tech-Air® system. When launched in the market in 2014, the Tech-Air® system was recognized as the world’s first airbag providing full upper body protection with a completely independent electronic management system, in addition to having the versatility of the vest which could be easily zipped into a variety of Tech-Air® compatible jackets. In December 2019, Tech-Air® 5 has already been recognized by CES as one of the must-see innovative products in the Wearables Technology Marketplace.
