Development of an advanced body protection system for sports employing air, foam and exocage technologies. Pro-SAFE

胸部挤压伤是马术运动和娱乐中第二大死亡原因，仅次于头部受伤。从高处和高速坠落涉及巨大的力量，可能导致改变生命的伤害，在世界各地有太多的情况下导致死亡。2010年美国的一项研究发现，马术行业的事故最有可能需要住院治疗。令人担忧的是，这项运动在全球所有运动中死亡率最高。与赛车运动等更受监管、更引人注目的危险活动相比，马术行业迄今为止还没有积极主动地推动身体保护方面的创新。该行业的供应商通常表示，他们符合规定的安全标准，但没有一家试图提高安全基准。虽然已经进行了研究，但该领域还没有显著的一致努力，以了解如何将目前单独使用的保护方法（如技术泡沫和纺织品、气垫和工程结构/外骨骼）结合起来，为骑手提供更好的保护。从商业角度来看，全球存在着重要的“空白空间”，高性能技术可以在其中得到保护和利用。在Pro-SAFE项目中，Teqnox将利用其在该问题上的广泛知识，以及其在马术身体保护方面的知识产权保护进展，来证明该系统的可行性，该系统采用了最佳的技术组合，可以提供卓越的钝性和尖锐的冲击，以及碾压性伤害。解决方案的开发之后将进行广泛的物理和机械测试，至关重要的是，还要进行大量的最终用户评估。Pro-SAFE的积极成果将使Teqnox进入预商业化活动，并获得重要的英国和出口市场机会。

Crushing injuries to the chest are the second largest cause of death in equestrian sport and recreation, second only to head injuries. Falls from height and at speed involve significant forces which can lead to life-changing injuries, and in too many instances around the world, death. A 2010 study in the US found that accidents in the equestrian sector had the highest likelihood of requiring hospitalisation. Worryingly, the activity has the highest mortality rate of all sports globally.Compared to more regulated and high-profile hazardous activities such as motorsport, the equestrian industry to date has not been proactive in driving forward innovations in body protection. Suppliers in the sector generally state that they meet stipulated safety standards, but none has sought to raise the safety benchmark. Whilst it has been researched, there have been no notable concerted efforts in the sector to move to understand how methods of protection currently used discretely (such as technical foams and textiles, air cushioning and engineered structures/exoskeleton) can be combined to provide for much-improved protection for the rider. From a commercial perspective, there is significant 'white space' globally in which a high-performance technology can be protected and exploited.In the Pro-SAFE project, Teqnox will leverage its extensive knowledge of the issues, and its own IP-protected advances in equestrian body protection to prove the viability of a system in which the optimum combination of technologies is implemented to provide superior resistance to blunt & sharp impact, and crushing injuries. Development of solutions will be followed by extensive physical and mechanical testing, and crucially, by an extensive schedule of end-user evaluation.A positive outcome from Pro-SAFE will allow Teqnox to progress to pre-commercialisation activities, and to a significant UK and export market opportunities.