A brief history of the Alpinestars Tech-Air® system and how it has revolutionized motorcycle safety.
Protecting motorcycle riders has been fundamental to Alpinestars since 1963. From the first motocross boot to the leather suits of armor worn by world champion MotoGP athletes, superior protection and unrivaled technology have been imperative to Alpinestars’ mission.
One product that embodies this mission more than any other is the Tech-Air® airbag system.
In 2001, Alpinestars began researching and testing an autonomously deployed airbag system to protect motorcycle riders in the event of a crash.
In 2003, Alpinestars technicians concluded that the best solution would be a wireless, electronically deployed airbag, with all sensors being embedded within the rider’s gear, rather than mounted on the motorcycle.
It was at this point that Alpinestars MotoGP athletes began wearing data loggers and accelerometers to collect valuable data to help Alpinestars understand the physics, parameters, timing, and conditions of a crash.
This data would be used to inform an algorithm that is capable of almost predictive crash detection and deploying an airbag within milliseconds.
After 6 years of development and refinement, Alpinestars MotoGP athletes first began wearing active airbag-equipped race suits during the 2009 race season.
Having been race-proven for 2+ years, the first Tech-Air® race suit was made available to the public in 2011. Now, some 24 years after the initial research began, Alpinestars offers a full range of Tech-Air® products for off-road, road, and racetrack applications.
In 2024, Alpinestars explored the aesthetic form of Tech-Air® as part of a RSRV collaboration with Danish fashion maverick Heliot Emil.
An imposing human-like sculpture constructed of 37 deployed and recycled Tech-Air® airbags recovered from crashed race suits was created to accompany the apparel line.
The line incorporated a range of Alpinestars protective components, with the sculpture serving as an effigy of protection and a mascot of the collaboration.
The collection and Tech-Air® sculpture were showcased at Paris Fashion Week in March of 2024, at a pop-up experience presented in partnership with Grailed.
For more information about the collaboration, check out the ALPINESTARS X HELIOT EMIL X GRAILED feature.
