The present invention relates to motorcycling and devices that facilitate high speed cornering for motorcycle riders, particularly in motorcycle racing. Motorcycle riders lean into turns while cornering with increasing lean angles dependent on the speed and radius of the corner. Improved tire compounds allow increased cornering angles for riders. Riders typically provide support during cornering by dropping their knees and forearms to the ground. Prior art pads exist to protect riders during these cornering maneuvers but have the significant drawback of substantial friction between the ground and the pad. This friction slows the rider, impacts the cornering geometry and creates rider discomfort.

The present invention seeks to solve these problems by providing a forearm and shin glider for motorcycle cornering. The claimed invention includes a deformable base with slits that allow secure and comfortable fit to the rider's arm or leg. An abrasion resistant casing is attached to the base. This casing holds a set of abrasion resistant balls made of high speed smooth abrasion resistant ceramic. The abrasion resistant balls are located by bearings, also manufactured of ceramic. This device allows the rider to make contact with the ground for support during tight cornering maneuvers with substantially reduced and minimized friction. The abrasion resistant balls move smoothly within the bearings and casing and roll when contacting the ground, creating minimal friction but also providing substantial rider support. The glider device is attached to the rider's clothing using Velcro or hook and loop attachment devices.

A multi-threat base ensemble is provided that can include a shirt and pants. The shirt and pants provide flame and chemical protection to a wearer such as a first responder. The base ensemble also includes a targeted hazard protection system providing protection to the wearer at predetermined areas and a cinching system for selectively adjusting a portion of the shirt or pants allowing the targeted hazard protection system to be selectively drawn into proximity with a body of the wearer. Areas of stretchable ventilation and selectively-actuated ventilation openings, and additional comfort and protection elements are also provided.

An impact force dampening and defusing structure includes a plurality of components arranged in a grid array. A component has a three-dimensional geometric shape that includes an impact receiving surface area and an impact defusing surface area. The impact defusing surface area is larger than, and a distance d from, the impact receiving surface area. The component includes a material composition and, when an impact force strikes the impact receiving surface area of the component and the impact force dampening and defusing structure is in position to protect a body part, the component contributes to reducing pressure on the body part based on the material composition, the distance d, the impact receiving surface area, and the impact defusing surface area.

Personal protective equipment configured to reduce the discomfort of the protruding joint of the conventional personal protective equipment includes a sleeve, at least one adhesive membrane, and at least one thin film. The sleeve is formed by curving an elastic fabric and joining two opposite joining edges of the elastic fabric in a butting manner. The adhesive membrane has an adhesive side adhesively attached to a surface of the sleeve over an area where the two opposite joining edges of the sleeve extend. The thin film covers and is adhesively attached to another adhesive side of the adhesive membrane. The personal protective equipment, therefore, has a flat joint and is spared those prior art drawbacks attributable to the protuberance of a hemmed border or overlap seam, such as an uncomfortable sensation and a lack of conformity to the contour of the body part being protected.

A force defusing structure includes first and second plurality of spherical shaped objects. A first spherical shaped object is proximally positioned to two or more second spherical shaped objects. When a force is applied to the first spherical shaped object, the first spherical shaped object collides with the two or more second spherical shaped objects to defuse the force based on a multi-dimensional collision between the first spherical shaped object and the two or more second spherical shaped objects.

A sports accessory is provided to be worn by a user during a sport activity. The accessory includes a flexure system. The flexure system includes a support structure including a plurality of intersecting grooves disposed along a surface of the support structure, where a plurality of segments are defined along the surface of the support structure between the intersecting grooves such that the support structure is configured to flex along the grooves with segments moving in relation to other segments during use of the sports accessory.

A modular protective structure may be formed from an impact absorbing material formed into a repeating pattern of one or more geometrical shapes that may be assembled to a size, shape, and/or configuration desired to protect an athlete from impact. The thickness of the structure may vary in a repetitive fashion along at least a first axis of the structure, and may further vary in a repetitive fashion along a second axis of the structure.

An article of protective equipment for protecting a body part of a user includes a lattice structure with a plurality of struts forming three dimensional volumetric structures. The lattice structure includes a plurality of internal layers, each internal layer having at least one different physical property from the other internal layers, wherein the plurality of internal layers comprises at least one internal layer having physical properties such that the at least one internal layer is capable of compressing more than at least one other internal layer in response to an impact to the article of protective equipment.

An impact force dampening and defusing structure includes a plurality of components arranged in a grid array. A component has a three-dimensional geometric shape that includes an impact receiving surface area and an impact defusing surface area. The impact defusing surface area is larger than, and a distance d from, the impact receiving surface area. The component includes a material composition and, when an impact force strikes the impact receiving surface area of the component and the impact force dampening and defusing structure is in position to protect a body part, the component contributes to reducing pressure on the body part based on the material composition, the distance d, the impact receiving surface area, and the impact defusing surface area.

The present invention relates to a protective upper and lower body assemblies and protective suit comprising the same. The protective upper body assembly comprises a ventral and a dorsal padding panels, a left and a right shoulder fasteners, and a left and a right flank fasteners. Each of the ventral and the dorsal padding panels include at least two layers of resiliently compressible material and one layer of breathable material. The protective lower assembly comprises a left and a right upper thigh portions, a left and a right lower thigh portions, a left and a right knee shells, a left and a right lower leg portions, and a left and a right feet shells.