Safety & Regulations
Mips
What does Mips mean?
A helmet technology that allows relative movement between the head and helmet, intended to reduce rotational motion transmitted during certain angled impacts.
Mips is a helmet technology intended to reduce rotational motion transmitted to the head in certain angled impacts. Its low-friction system allows some relative movement between the head and helmet. Rotational motion means turning; linear motion means movement along a line.
Is Mips a safety certification?
Mips is a technology, not the name of a bicycle helmet standard. CPSC compliance and NTA 8776 concern separate requirements. A helmet’s Mips logo doesn’t establish those claims by itself.
It also doesn’t establish that one complete helmet performs better than every model without Mips. Compare independent evidence for the exact helmet and check its fit. Don’t infer a personal injury-risk percentage from the presence of a logo.
What does Mips mean in a product name?
In a name such as UNIT 1 AURA Mips, UNIT 1 identifies the brand, AURA identifies the helmet model and Mips identifies an included technology. Those names don’t describe three competing helmet standards.
A Virginia Tech STAR score provides another kind of evidence about the tested complete helmet. Our best e-bike helmets guide explains how to use that evidence alongside certification, fit and the model’s instructions.
Sources: Mips, Mips safety system functionality; UNIT 1, AURA Mips product specification. Definition checked November 2, 2026.
Also known as: Multi-Directional Impact Protection System
Related terms
- CPSC The US Consumer Product Safety Commission. For bicycle helmets, CPSC compliance refers to meeting the federal safety requirements in 16 CFR Part 1203.
- NTA 8776 A helmet standard developed for speed-pedelec riders, with higher test drop speeds and more temple and rear-head coverage than the bicycle baseline NEN describes.
- Virginia Tech STAR score A laboratory helmet-comparison score. Lower bicycle STAR scores indicate better performance within Virginia Tech's test method, not a personal injury-risk percentage.
- Helmet impact liner The energy-absorbing structure inside a helmet's shell. It has a different job from the soft comfort pads and the adjustable fit cradle.