SBIR Phase I: Truncated Icosahedrons Protect Pitchers from Line-Drive Baseball Strikes to the Head

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目的重点是为棒球投手寻找一种实用且具有成本效益的保护帽，以保护容易受到击球撞击造成严重头部受伤的棒球投手。新的帽子设计令人满意地解决了以前商业化努力的缺点，这些缺点无法满足规定的保护要求，未能通过玩家的时尚期望和舒适度评估，并且带来了高昂的购买价格。职业棒球运动员接受和使用这种新帽子，将引发大学、高中和少年棒球联盟球员的广泛需求。据估计，这一市场的年收入将超过1800万美元。这些市场预测排除了该技术在其他体育或职业和军事应用中的更广泛影响潜力的考虑，在这些应用中，人们越来越认识到需要改善对运动员、士兵、执法官员和建筑工人的头部保护。运动损伤现在受到高度关注，特别是那些导致脑损伤、钝器创伤和反复脑震荡损伤等长期医疗问题的损伤。这项创新的社会价值将在更安全的运动和工作环境中找到。这类设备代表着服装市场快速增长的细分市场，也是该公司独特的商业机会。该项目的智力价值基于该公司的专利设计，该设计提供头部保护，使其免受棒球的影响。防护帽头条的新奇之处在于其柔软的外壳，由高度刚性的相互连接的截断二十面体面板制成。这使得车头罩符合头部的形状，同时保持分散冲击载荷所需的硬度。由于棒球的冲击力代表的是持续时间较短的点载荷，因此可以最大限度地减少外壳下面的层的能量吸收能力。目标是确定当棒球以每小时125英里的速度撞击头部模板时，分散与严重性指数1200或更大相关的冲击载荷所需的材料特性；并确定最适合实现这一目标的材料组合(S)。传统的泡沫材料以及最先进的材料组合物将在独特的配置中使用，以产生既不太重，也不太大，也不太热而不能穿的解决方案。这项研究的结果将决定在人体工学和机械专利设计的限制下，是否有可用的材料来保护头部。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project focuses on finding a practical and cost-effective protective cap for baseball pitchers susceptible to serious head injuries from impacts of batted baseballs. The new cap design satisfactorily addresses the shortcomings of previous commercialization efforts that were unable to meet the prescribed protective requirements; failed to pass both the players' fashion expectations and comfort evaluation; and carried a hefty purchase price. The acceptance and use of the new cap by professional baseball players will create widespread demand from collegiate, high school and Little League players, a market that is estimated to generate annual revenues of more than $18M. These market projections exclude consideration of the technology's Broader Impact potential in other sports or vocational and military applications, where there is a growing recognition of the need for improved head protection for athletes, soldiers, law enforcement officials and construction workers. Sports injuries are now highly scrutinized, especially those causing long-term medical issues from brain injury, blunt force trauma and repetitive concussive injury. The societal value of this innovation will be found in safer sports and work environments. Such equipment represents a rapidly growing segment of the apparel market and a unique commercial opportunity for the company. The intellectual merit of this project is based on the company's patented design that provides head protection from the impact of a baseball. The novelty of the protective cap headliner is its flexible outer hard shell made with highly rigid interconnecting truncated icosahedron panels. This allows the headliner to conform to the shape of the head while maintaining the stiffness needed to diffuse impact loads. Since the impact of a baseball represents a short duration point load, the energy-absorbing capacity of the layer beneath the outer shell can be minimized. The objective is to identify the material characteristics required to dissipate the impact load associated with a Severity Index of 1200 or greater when a head-form is struck by a baseball traveling at speeds up to 125 mph; and to identify the material combination(s) best suited to achieve this goal. Traditional foam materials as well as state-of-the-art material compositions will be used in unique configurations to produce solutions that are not too heavy, not too bulky nor too hot to wear. The outcomes of this study will determine the availability of materials that can be used within the ergonomic and mechanical constraints of the patented design to protect the head.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.