Possibly over-engineered G3 camera cutaway...

[parashoes 0]

I put this on reddit, but thought maybe a few of you might want to think about it

Album: clicky

And from my comments...


Very simply, here's how it works:
1) The only exposed piece is the same aluminum mount a lot of us use. Instead of cutting away the helmet and the camera, we're going to release just the camera and its mount.
2) If enough tension is put on the mount, it'll automatically disconnect. Its designed to disconnect before damage to the spine, but just in case..
3) For redundancy, there is a manual "override" by pulling a discrete handle on the side
4) To broaden redundancy, there is a second handle which can be pulled without affect to the first
5) To further broaden the redundancy, both handles can be pulled without any issue. In a pinch, a user doesn't need discretion.. just pull something and it'll work.

To clarify, this is a result of addressing most of the issues and concerns I've heard about.
A) It won't cause a breakaway if you simply bump the camera in the plane or headbutt your buddy or whatever
B) There is no effect to your field of vision
C) The premise extends to all full face helmets, doesn't have to be just the G3
D) It doesn't have any exposed mechanical parts, only handles exposed but they're secure.
E) Very simple user interface - only if you need to, just pull something and it'll work.
F) All items pulled are soft.. no hard parts or hardware comes off with the handles, so no risk of puncture or catching onto gear.
G) You keep your helmet. Helmet is primary safety equipment, chances are if you need to cutaway your camera you're going to land off, and I'd rather keep my helmet on for that.
H) No waste in time trying to remove the helmet from your head (I noticed they're a lot of "cutaways" which are just alternative methods to release a fastex buckle)
I) No discomfort when wearing the helmet, no hard points which could be problematic during impact.
J) No affect to the structural integrity of the helmet.

I guess it might be confusing because there are a lot of pics in the album showing more or less how to make it, but its the last few pics that really only highlight how it works.

[TheCaptain 2]

I like your idea of cutting away the snag point. I think your kind of cutaway system is probably one of the best for full faced helmets. One problem with the G3 helmet is they fit fairly tight especially under the chin and I personally doubt the effectiveness of any cut away system to get rid of the entire standard full faced helmet.

Kirk
He's dead Jim

[Hellis 0]

Now just add a few carabiners to the GoPro mount and you will be able to retrive the camera with your main

[Paratroopa 0]

I like this!!.... any chance you could post a video of the final set-up in use, both from the auto disconnect and using the cutaway handles?

[parashoes 0]

Sure, give me a few days since the helmet is disassembled for paint at the moment.

[parashoes 0]

Ask and you shall receive..

http://youtu.be/u5awQR_fDhA

[Valentine_13 0]

This is great work!!!

Any problem with image stabilization due to high speed? :)

[Deimian 43]

Looks great!

Just a quick note for extra safety: As somebody told me here on the forums about my "safeish" sony mount, careful with the protruding screws inside the shell of the helmet. In case of impact on landing all the pressure can be concentrated in a very small surface, which can crack your skull. I ended up surrounding the screw of my mount with thermoplastic, kind of "raising" the shell so the screw doesn't protrude. This way the impact will be distributed in a larger surface.

[Paratroopa 0]

Thanks for the video, like others said, this is great!