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Alison Stefansic

Mrs. Stephanie Tatum

Biomedical Engineering

21 November 2019

Preventative Measures Against Concussions

With millions of individuals participating in sports and recreational activities, injuries are

a common occurrence. Head safety is prevalent in today’s society due to the severity of

permanent impairment from concussions. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention states

that, “a traumatic brain injury (TBI) is caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head or a

penetrating head injury that disrupts the normal function of the brain” (Basic Information about

Traumatic Brain Injury, 2019). A hormonal imbalance resulting from a concussion may alter the

brain’s function. As the Mayo Clinic reports, “mild traumatic brain injury may affect your brain

cells temporarily” while “more-serious injuries can result in long term complications or death”

(Traumatic Brain Injury 2019). A TBI can result in physical, communication, behavioral, and

intellectual complications. Complications such as these raise concerns about modern

preventative measures designed to reduce the risk of concussions. While helmets have been

around since the Roman era in 300 BC, scientists have yet to produce a design which protect and

conceal the brain from these forceful impacts. However, entrepreneur Bruce Y. Lee’s ZERO1

football helmet has been known to exceed in test categories of “form, function and safety” (Lee,

2018). Through the comparison of structure and safety of my helmet design to the ZERO1

helmet and other successful anti-concussion helmets, it can be concluded that my design in not a

feasible concussion prevention device.

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With this in mind, it is important to recognize the quantitative measures performed in

testing which contribute to the accuracy of my helmet design. Improper design of impact force

distribution greatly affected the function of my helmet. Through the use of mass, acceleration,

and time, force of thrust (impact force) was concluded to be -3.476984 Ns. Due to the helmet

design, this was enough force to cause a concussion.

Creation of the helmet was based off multiple designs targeted to absorb shock and

decrease force emitted on the egg. Nicole Moore (2016), a representative from the University of

Michigan, worked with researchers to create a “lightweight and affordable helmet that

effectively dissipates the energy from hit after hit on the field. Through further inspection of their

design, I noted that their helmet had only three materials. Their goal of dissipating energy in the

prototype was comprised of hard polycarbonate, flexible plastic, and dried tar. The uniqueness of

the third layer implemented “reflect[ion] of the initial shock wave from a collision” through

vibration (A football helmet design that listens to physics, 2016). While I did not have access to

these materials, I used the conceptual aspects of Moore’s design as a basis for my protoype. The

incorporation of a shock absorbing layer shown in my design of the woven string was attributed

to the flexibility of the plastic used in the second layer of Moore’s helmet. Nonetheless, my

design did not exceed the success that the University of Michigan’s anti-concussion helmet

obtained through testing.

Safety was also another factor used when determining the success rate of concussion

helmets. With limited view of the egg of in my design, it would not be possible to use in daily

life due to obstructed sight. On the contrary, Lee’s “human-centered design” of the ZERO1

helmet incorporates comfortable, trendy helmet models that “not only meet functional needs but

also the emotional needs of users” (How This New Football Helmet Is Designed To Protect The
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Brain). The non-universal design of my prototype limits its functions and causes safety issues to

users.

Even with a seemingly perfect anti-concussion product, cost of materials, research, and

labor make reliable helmets very expensive and not affordable to every household.

Economically, the pricing of the materials in my design are widely available among the public

and very inexpensive. While BakoSports disagrees saying, “having a quality helmet that works

properly in the way it was intended can prevent some of this from ever occurring” (The 10 Best

Football Helmets to Prevent Concussions and Other Injuries). Though increased prices may seem

like a downfall, injury prevention certainly needs to be taken into consideration for the decreased

risk of the potentially life-threatening side effects of concussions.

Advancements in concussion studies have led to increased protection against traumatic

brain injuries. Decreasing impact force through energy dispersing material has been proven to

successfully decrease the g-force the brain is exposed to from a concussion. Which has been

linked to structure of the prototype therefor improving overall safety. Research, testing, and data

comparison has shown that my helmet design is not a feasible concussion prevention device.

Though a reliable helmet may be expensive, preventative measures should always be taken for

the maximum protection.

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References

BakoSports. (2019, July 8). The 10 Best Football Helmets to Prevent Concussions and Other

Injuries. Retrieved from https://bakosports.com/best-football-helmets/

Bruce Y. Lee. (2018, September 4). How This New Football Helmet Is Designed To Protect The

Brain. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2018/09/03/how-this-new-

football-helmet-is-designed-to-protect-the-brain/#4881a0284a1e

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019, March 6). Basic Information about Traumatic

Brain Injury. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/basics.html

Mayo Clinic. (2019, March 29). Traumatic brain injury - Symptoms and causes. Retrieved from

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/traumatic-brain-injury/symptoms-

causes/syc-20378557

University of Michigan. (2016, February 9). A football helmet design that listens to physics.

Retrieved from https://phys.org/news/2016-02-football-helmet-physics.html