A youth-specific helmet for preventing traumatic brain injury

项目摘要 头部受伤，包括每年近400万次脑震荡，在近4000万人中很常见。 参加美国有组织的青年体育运动。尽管最近的技术市场，以减少 脑震荡的风险，头部受伤继续上升的青年运动员。此外，研究改善 保护设备主要集中在成年人群，导致运动设备优化， 防止严重高能碰撞造成灾难性伤害的风险。防护设备 需要在更广泛的冲击能量范围内提供最大的保护，包括较低的，但仍然 年轻人经历的危险的冲击能量。创造青年专用头盔是必不可少的， 解决运动员这一弱势群体中的脑震荡流行病。 SoftShock是一种新型的减震器，它可以管理冲击能量，从而产生较低的力水平 与传统的头盔泡沫相比，它有可能大大降低脑损伤的风险。我们 建议将SoftShock技术集成到青少年足球头盔中，以展示该技术的可行性， 后来扩展到更广泛的市场，如自行车，马术，儿童汽车座椅，游乐场秋季 浮出水面，还有更多。 在这第一阶段的建议中，我们要求拨款，以满足成功实施的主要要求。 SoftShock技术在青少年头盔中应用：1）头盔舒适性和贴合性2）减震装置 重量和坚固性，以及3）头盔性能。第1阶段提案中完成的头盔原型 将导致第二阶段提交的第一个前瞻性临床研究的足球头盔的目标， 第一个头盔被验证可以降低年轻人脑震荡的风险。 具体目标1：开发舒适且贴合的头盔内部 我们的头盔的详细有限元模型将用于确定必要的尺寸，位置， SoftShocks的分布，以最大限度地提高头部舒适度和头盔适合不同尺寸的青少年头部。 具体目标2：制造重量轻、耐用、可回收的减震装置 Softshock将进行制造和单元测试，以确保其重量，多冲击耐久性和恢复 时间达到或超过标准泡沫和空气冲击。 具体目标3：测试头盔原型的性能 SoftShocks将被集成到一个轻量级的头盔外壳中，创建原型，并在标准环境中进行测试。 认证协议，以证明在各种冲击能量下的上级性能， 与现有的青少年足球头盔相比。

PROJECT SUMMARY Head injuries, including nearly 4 million concussions per year, are common among the nearly 40 million participants in organized youth sports in the United States. Despite recent technologies marketed to reduce concussion risk, head injuries continue to rise among youth athletes. Furthermore, studies to improve protective equipment have largely focused on adult populations, leading to athletic equipment optimized for protection against the risk of catastrophic injuries from severe high-energy collisions. Protective equipment is needed that provides maximal protection across a wider range of impact energies including the lower, yet still dangerous, impact energies experienced at the youth level. Creating youth-specific helmets is essential for tackling the concussion epidemic among this vulnerable population of athletes. SoftShock is a novel shock absorber which manages impact energy to result in generally lower force levels than traditional foams used in helmets, giving it the potential to drastically reduce the risk of brain injury. We propose to integrate SoftShock technology into a youth football helmet to show the feasibility of the technology, afterwards expanding into broader markets such as bicycling, equestrian, child car seats, playground fall surfacing, and more. In this Phase I proposal, we are requesting funding to target the principal requirements for successful implementation of SoftShock technology in a youth helmet: 1) helmet comfort and fit 2) shock absorber unit weight and robustness, and 3) helmet performance. The completed helmet prototype from Phase 1 proposal will lead to a Phase II submission on the first ever prospective clinical study of a football helmet with the goal of having the first helmet validated to reduce the risk of concussion among youth. Specific Aim 1: Develop comfortable and well-fitting helmet interiors A detailed finite element model of our helmet will be used to determine the necessary size, placement, and distribution of SoftShocks in order to maximize head comfort and helmet fit across a range of youth head sizes. Specific Aim 2: Manufacture lightweight, durable, and recoverable shock absorbing units Softshock will be manufactured and unit tested to ensure that its weight, multi-impact durability, and recovery time meets or exceeds that of standard foams and air shocks. Specific Aim 3: Test helmet prototypes for performance SoftShocks will be integrated into a lightweight helmet shell, creating prototypes to be tested in standard certification protocols to demonstrate superior performance across a wide range of impact energies as compared to existing youth football helmets.