You’ve likely noticed the circular yellow Mips® logo on a bike or ski helmet or seen Mips safety system advertised in a product description. But what does it mean? How does it work? And can Mips really make a difference when it comes to helmet safety? In this article, we’ll cover common questions about Mips, including:
What does Mips stand for?
What is Mips, and how does Mips work?
What are multi-directional impacts? Why are rotational forces dangerous?
Does Mips make a helmet safer?
What does Mips stand for?
Mips is an acronym that stands for “Multi-Directional Impact Protection System.”
Mips refers to a plastic low-friction layer in the interior of a helmet that is designed to help redirect rotational motion sustained from some angled impacts away from the head. We’ll dive more into the mechanics of Mips, the various types of Mips and why rotational forces are dangerous below.
You’ll find the Mips safety system in a range of helmets at REI, including snowsports, cycling and climbing helmets from brands like Giro, Smith, Fox, Bern, Black Diamond and others. Mips isn’t limited to these outdoor activities. The brand’s patented protective tech can be found in everything from hockey and equestrian helmets to motorcycle and construction helmets, too.
Mips can also refer to the Swedish-based corporation (formally known as Mips AB) that owns the rights to the Mips safety system and its patents. The company was founded in 2001 by Hans Van Holst, a neurosurgeon, and Peter Halldin, a KTH Royal Institute of Technology scientist interested in helmet safety. After debuting as an equestrian helmet in 2007, Mips began licensing its technology to helmet manufacturers in 2009; manufacturers now incorporate the safety system into their own product offerings.
What is Mips and how does Mips work?
While most helmet technology absorbs energy, Mips is designed to redirect impact. How so? A low-friction layer, also known as a slip plane, is integrated into the helmet and allows it to rotate independently from the head for 10 to 15 millimeters. The aim of this slip plane is to redirect potentially harmful rotational motion sustained from certain angled impacts that might otherwise be transferred to the user’s head.
In the vast majority of Mips helmets, this low-friction layer is a thin, plastic liner integrated into the helmet between the helmet padding and the helmet itself. In the event of a crash, the liner allows the helmet to spin separately from the head of the user, redirecting and thus reducing rotational forces.
There are other types of Mips technology on the market, too. Mips Spherical, for instance, which you’ll find on Giro bike and ski helmets, doesn’t rely on a plastic liner. Instead, Mips Spherical helmets sport an inner foam layer that rotates independently of an outer foam layer, much like a ball-and-socket joint. The technology looks different but the concept is the same: A low-friction layer allows the helmet to move independently from the head.
Regardless of the type of Mips technology, the Swedish brand maintains that all safety systems are designed to provide a margin of 10 to 15 millimeters of movement between the head and helmet in the event of a crash.
What are “multi-directional impacts?” Why are rotational forces dangerous?
First, let’s address the difference between linear and non-linear impacts: Imagine a soccer ball being dropped onto a perfectly flat floor—that’s a linear impact. However, if the floor is slanted, or the soccer ball is tossed horizontally instead of dropped from a standstill, the impact is no longer linear; it’s non-linear.
If you’ve ever flipped over the handlebars on your mountain bike or face-planted while skiing, you know that most ski and bike impacts are non-linear. These impacts are also described as “oblique” or “multi-directional”—hence “Multi-Directional Impact” in the Mips acronym. And these multi-directional impacts can result in potentially harmful rotational motion being exerted upon the head.
According to Mips, “Rotational motion is a common cause for concussions and more severe brain injury in oblique hits to the head.” This is backed by a number of scientific studies, including a 2019 study that compares bike helmets with rotation-damping technology (like Mips) to helmets without it.
Despite research that shows that rotational force can be traumatic, most helmet technology and safety certifications have historically focused on linear impacts, rather than non-linear ones.
Does Mips make a helmet safer?
There isn’t a definitive answer to this question. On its website, Mips says: “While Mips cannot make any guarantees as to how one helmet will perform in an accident compared to another, based on our research and the testing conducted by Mips and others, the Mips system has been shown to provide additional safety in many types of accidents compared to a helmet without a Mips system.”
Translation? Every helmet is different, and every crash is different. Injury and even death is always possible, regardless of the helmet you’re wearing during activities like climbing, cycling, mountain biking or skiing.
That said, the most reputable sources when evaluating helmet safety are experienced, third-party researchers who test helmets side by side, like those who conducted the 2019 study. They found that: “The Mips and SPIN helmets provided considerable improvements in absorption of rotational kinematics and associated concussion risk compared to control helmets.” (SPIN is a similar rotation-damping technology from helmet-manufacturer POC that seeks to address the same issues as Mips.)
Remember: Safety is your responsibility. No internet article or video can replace proper instruction and experience—this article is intended solely as supplemental information. Be sure you’re practiced in proper techniques and safety requirements before you engage in any outdoors activity.
