The Meru IDS (Impact Damping System) is the most advanced head restraint system available, engineered to dramatically reduce the forces drivers experience during high-speed impacts. Whether you're competing wheel-to-wheel or logging laps on a test day, the IDS transforms safety expectations by managing head movement like no other system on the market.

Meru Ascent IDS Carbon Head Restraint System

Unmatched Head Control. Unrivaled Force Reduction.

Unlike traditional systems that simply brace the head, the Meru IDS actively controls head motion—reducing both linear and angular acceleration during an impact. Through a proprietary speed-sensitive valve system, the IDS absorbs energy intelligently, offering exceptional comfort under normal conditions and maximum protection when it matters most.

Key Features:

• Impact Reduction Like No Other: In a 70G impact, the IDS lowered head force from over 300 lbs (competitor) to just over 60 lbs—a near 80% reduction.
• Superior Neck Protection: Falls hundreds of pounds below both SFI and FIA upper neck tension thresholds.
• Engineered for Elite Safety: Custom CNC’d titanium hardware and a carbon fiber/Kevlar shell with a proprietary burst panel ensure durability and performance.
• Durability Built In: Withstands thousands of impacts without degradation in performance.
• Universal Fit: Adjustable moving headrest works in all seating positions—GT, formula, or prototype.

Technology That Works With You

The Meru IDS is built around a proprietary dampener system featuring speed-sensitive valving. This allows it to adapt in real-time—offering a soft feel during regular use and firm, controlled motion under extreme load. It's not just safe—it’s confidence-inspiring.

If you're serious about racing and refuse to compromise on safety or comfort, the Meru IDS is your competitive edge.

The forces to the head in the majority of auto racing accidents come from rotational energy which promotes angular acceleration. It has become rare to have a direct linear impact to the head. Traditional FHR's solid construction and tethering prevent the ability to mitigate angular acceleration forces. With traditional FHR’s in an impact the brain and head immediately speed up and then come to an immediate stop when the tether stops the helmet, which has a similar effect to hitting your head on a wall despite not leaving a scratch on the helmet.

IDS technology immediately begins slowing the impact down, controlling the helmet's movement forward, thereby reducing the transfer of angular acceleration forces to the head and brain.

Low Threshold Energy

Recent medical research has provided alarming conclusions surrounding the causes, severity, and long-term effects of concussions. Even seemingly minor concussions may have much more serious long-term effects on the brain, especially when frequency is increased. The current crop of head restraints focus on limiting upper neck tension and leaving concussion prevention up to the helmet companies.

With this well noted, the vast majority of impacts one might experience in auto racing qualify as low-threshold energy impacts. That is, impacts well below the pass/fail velocities of the certification standards, but severe enough to cause a concussion or a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Bumpy tracks, a big cushion in dirt cars, or a string of small crashes can do enough jarring to sustain a concussion or TBI without any obvious carnage to pair it with. IDS starts working the instant an impact begins and the speed sensitive valving makes the technology more compliant and progressive over a broad range of impact velocities common in real world racing while still exceeding the global standard pass/fail requirements.

High Velocity Impacts

Across the entire range of potential impact velocities, the Meru Ascent FHR with IDS technology consistently outperforms competitive designs. Meru meticulously engineers the collar, headrest, hardware, guards and IDS to provide the best possible impact mitigation performance across all impact velocities for both angular and linear accelerations. In a 70G force impact at the cape crash testing lab in Indianapolis, the Meru Ascent FHR with IDS reduced the concussion causing forces through the head from over 300 pounds with our best competition to just 63 pounds with our restraint. They were able to make those gains without giving up low-threshold energy protection or sacrificing neck safety.

Time To Peak (TTP)

Time-to-Peak (TTP) is how long it takes the energy of an impact to reach maximum g-force. Deceleration time is the single most beneficial component in reducing the severity and magnitude of any impact — the more time, the less energy transferred.

Because of Meru's proprietary IDS technology, their speed sensitive dampener progressively lowers the head's velocity and almost triples the time to peak, spreading their already drastically reduced load over nearly triple the time.

Upper Neck Tension

The original FHR’s were designed to limit upper neck tension. At the time auto racing's biggest problem was basal skull fracture. Caused by the whiplash motion in an impact, basal skull fracture often severed spinal cords, resulting in death. The original FHR designs did wonders for limiting how far forward the helmet could travel in an impact eliminating the finished whipping motion.

In testing to see how well FHR’s do at preventing basal skull fracture, Meru look at upper neck tension. This number is the main pass/fail standard for the safety organization.

In Meru's mission of concussion prevention, the original FHR goal of lowered upper neck tension was not lost and they were able to come in several hundred pounds below the set standard either matching or besting the current industry leaders.