Improving energy dissipation to lower concussion risk in football helmets

[摘要] American football is notorious for being a high impact sport. There exists an especially high amount of danger to each player;;s brain, created in part by gameplay, but also from the helmets worn by the athletes. Football helmet pads were comparatively investigated, in order to find a better alternative that can lower the amount of acceleration on the brain. A new pad system was introduced that allows for the force to be dissipated horizontally, through use of a dashpot-like center, also employing a foam shell to assist in the vertical energy dissipation. The pad currently used, along with the new dashpot system were further tested inside helmet shells on a head form drop test, and compared to the national standards that regulate athletic equipment.

[发布机构] Massachusetts Institute of Technology