Development of novel optical force sensors for applications in helmet and concussion research

数以百万计的儿童、青少年和成年人参加体育运动，这增加了他们头部和脑部受伤的风险。在北美，每年有数百万人遭受脑损伤，造成数十亿美元的社会成本。在许多运动中，头盔的使用已经消除了致命的头部伤害，但这些头盔并没有有效地减少脑震荡的发生率。为了预防脑震荡，必须清楚地了解头部撞击的机制（力率、大小、持续时间和加速度）及其与脑震荡的关系。这种理解目前还不完整，因此，头盔设计师目前无法设计出防止脑震荡的头盔。这个项目在提高我们对头盔性能、伤害预防和改进头盔设计方面的长期潜力是很高的。该计划将导致第一个传感器系统，可以测量用于头盔和脑震荡研究的测试假人头部的头盔/头部界面的力。该系统将允许首次动态测量戴头盔撞击时的时间力（随时间变化的力）。新的传感器系统和头盔力的首次时间测量将是头盔科学的两个原创的，高影响的贡献。拟议的头盔撞击过程中的力研究将提供第一个实验数据，以确定力的大小、持续时间和位置是否与损伤指标相关，并可能导致包括力和加速度在内的损伤指标的改进。在模拟头盔/头部贴合场景下的碰撞力研究将提供第一个量化方法，以了解头盔贴合如何影响力和损伤指标。目前文献中缺乏上述所有方面的数据，因此这些将是高影响力的贡献。随着对头盔头部保护机制、头部损伤和脑震荡的理解的提高，头盔设计师可以设计下一代头盔，既可以防止致命的头部损伤，也可以防止包括脑震荡在内的非致命伤害，这将反过来减少从事体育运动的所有人群中脑震荡的发生率。

Millions of children, adolescents and adults participate in sports that carry with them increased risk of head and brain injury. In North America, millions of people sustain brain injury each year, resulting in societal costs in $Billions. In many sports, helmet use has eliminated fatal head injuries, but these helmets have not been effective at reducing concussion incidence. To prevent concussion, a clear understanding of the mechanics of head impact (force rates, magnitudes and durations; and accelerations) and its connection with concussion must be understood. This understanding is currently incomplete and, therefore, helmet designers are currently unable to design helmets that prevent concussion. The long term potential of this program to improve our understanding of helmet performance, injury prevention and to improve helmet design is high. The proposed program will lead to the first sensor system that can measure force at the helmet/head interface of test-dummy heads used in helmet and concussion research. The system will allow the first dynamic measurements of temporal forces (forces through time) during helmeted impacts. The novel sensor system and the first temporal measurements of helmet force will be two original, high impact contributions to helmet science. The proposed study of forces during helmeted impact will provide the first experimental data into whether force magnitude, duration and location correlate with injury metrics and could potentially lead to improved injury metrics that incorporate both forces and accelerations. The proposed study of forces during impact with simulated helmet/head fit scenarios will provide the first quantified approach to understanding how forces and injury metrics vary with helmet fit. Data on all of the above aspects is lacking in the current literature and therefore these will be high impact contributions. With improved understanding of the mechanics of head protection with helmets, head injury and concussion, helmet designers could design the next generation of helmets that prevent both fatal head injuries and non fatal injuries including concussion, which would in turn reduce concussion incidence in all segments of the population engaged in sport.