"One thing to keep in mind is that this will not make you invincible. Many avalanche victims are injured or killed by the trauma – the force of an avalanche – and not by suffocation. The Avalung will not of course do anything to help this. "
Now, I'm thinking as part of the backpack system, it has a protection system similar to the Mars rover that inflated a large inflatable shield that allowed the landing without any kind of chutes. So from the backpack, this shield would inflate either from a manual pull of a cord or when it detects you've taken a tumble.
That's pretty standard equipment as well, actually :)
My backpack has a handle, and when I drag it, a huge thing inflates and folds out. This both protects you, and supposedly makes you not buried as deep. ("avalanche airbag")
Downhill skiers also have inflatable vests on them. They are automatic, and blows up inside their suit around the torso when they fall. ("dainese airbag")
Not just that, but if you start out deep it should make you "float" to the top while the avalanche is in motion, at least for some types of avalanches.
Put small and large pebbles in a jar and keep shaking it, the larger pebbles will rise to the top. Same principle.
Interesting, I was half joking, but I did fall into the the rabbit hole looking up the 2 airbags you mentioned. The avalanche airbag looks like it's just meant to protect the head from whiplash. I didn't see how it would prevent from being buried or protecting the head when slammed face first.
The dainese airbag site[0] just sent me into "is this a joke" mode with the video included on the page. It just has the feel of a parody. That poor guy doesn't look comfortable at all. The editing makes it have that intentionally bad continuity used when making parody infomercials. The arm is awkwardly posed with hand in pocket, cut to hand waving, cut back to hand in pocket. It's very hard to take seriously.
There is no special need to protect the head from getting slammed in an avalanche. What the bag does is that it protects you from being buried and crushed beneath a ton of snow. Both by making you "float" higher when caught in the avalanche. But also by taking up space when buried, so that when it deflates you're in a "pocket" and not getting crushed.
Haven't seen the video before. But In often see racers being "bulky" when skiing down after an accident. Looks funny, but it's useful.
Yes! this is much closer to what my mind pictured. I'm not a Bond fan, but of course he'd just so happen to have this. Next, someone will show a Batman episode where he has this on his belt clip.
"One thing to keep in mind is that this will not make you invincible. Many avalanche victims are injured or killed by the trauma – the force of an avalanche – and not by suffocation. The Avalung will not of course do anything to help this. "
Now, I'm thinking as part of the backpack system, it has a protection system similar to the Mars rover that inflated a large inflatable shield that allowed the landing without any kind of chutes. So from the backpack, this shield would inflate either from a manual pull of a cord or when it detects you've taken a tumble.