Callum Mendoza
WRIT 340
Illumin Article
Engineering a Better Helmet
American football is a violent game where personal safety and caution are often left in
the locker room. The result is a dangerous environment for players where concussions
are common and poorly protected against. Recent events in the media have shown
that the game needs a redesign of its protective equipment, and engineers are working
on the solution. A new understanding of what concussions are, as well as how to
prevent them, spark innovation in helmet structure and impact dampening.
Introduction
American football is founded on aggression and violence in almost every
aspect of the game. Play after play, participants throw themselves at each other in
an attempt to move the ball around the field. Naturally, a sport built around
colliding bodies will result in many injuries, even with modern protective
equipment. Players leave the game with torn ligaments or sprains, but the most
dangerous injury often goes unreported. A concussion, from a blow to the head, is
the most dangerous threat to the players on the field each week. In the game of
football, disregard for one’s own body is seen as strength. Engineers must design a
way to protect players when the sport becomes too rough on their bodies.
Engineering developments in concussion prevention technology must protect the
next generation of athletes from the danger of brain trauma.
Looking Back
Figure 1: A leather helmet from the 1920's [P1]
An examination of the history of American football reveals a story of
technology racing to keep up with the changing game. In its creation, football was a
sport played without any type of head protection. The idea of head protection was
introduced during the early 1890’s, when a few players began wearing moleskin
head covers. The helmets evolved from moleskin to leather, and then to plastics and
composites by the 1950’s. As more players adopted the then-optional helmets, the
speed and violence of the game also increased. Players were soon required to wear
helmets as the NFL became more regulated and facemasks were added to more fully
protect the head.
Even with technology improving through the years, the number of
concussions reported rises each year. The NFL averaged 5.4 concussions per week
in 2009, 7.6 in 2010, and 8.4 in 2011. [1]. Although this study has a very small
timescale, it shows a disturbing trend in concussions at the professional level.
Concussions in the News
Figure 2: Junior Seau on the cover of Sports Illustrated [P2]
Recently, concussions have become a focal point for media attention in this
country. Ex-NFL players filed a lawsuit against the NFL in which “4,500 former
athletes -- some suffering from dementia, depression or Alzheimer's that they
blamed on blows to the head -- had sued the league, accusing it of concealing the
dangers of concussions and rushing injured players back onto the field while
glorifying and profiting from the kind of bone-jarring hits that make for spectacular
highlight-reel footage.” [2] Shortly after, college athletes followed, suing the NCAA
for creating an unsafe environment and refusing to acknowledge the danger of head
injuries. The suit claims “NCAA athletes suffered 29,225 concussions between 2004
and 2009. Football players suffered the majority — more than 16,000” [3] The
concussion-causing, big-hit culture is spreading from the professional to the
amateur level and there are two options to save the mental health of its players:
change the way the game is played, or improve the protective equipment.
One case of concussions affecting a player’s mental health can be seen in the
story of Junior Seau. The USC Trojan turned pro spent 20 years delivering and
receiving big hits on the field at the highest level. After retiring, Seau developed
brain disease that eventually led to suicide by gunshot wound to the chest. His
family is suing the NFL, claiming “Seau developed chronic traumatic encephalopathy
(CTE) from those hits, and accuses the NFL of deliberately ignoring and concealing
evidence of the risks associated with traumatic brain injuries”. [4] CTE is “a
neurodegenerative disease linked to dementia, memory loss and depression. The
disease, which researchers say is triggered by repeated head trauma, can currently
be confirmed only by examining the brain after death.” [5] The effects of
concussions, whether CTE or Second-impact Syndrome, might be mitigated or even
prevented by engineers once we fully understand their causes.
What is a Concussion?
To understand the importance of head protection in Football, one must
understand the danger that comes with concussions. A concussion is defined as a
“complex pathophysiological process that affects the brain, typically induced by
trauma to the brain”[6]. In football, this trauma comes as a result of the frequent
collisions between players. When a player’s head comes to a sudden stop, their
brain continues moving due to inertia. The result is a sudden collision between the
brain and the wall of the skull. The damage from the hit can range from slight
amnesia, nausea and dizziness to unconsciousness or even permanent brain damage
depending on the severity of the impact. When concussions are paired together,
they cause even more damage to the brain. Second-impact Syndrome occurs when a
second concussion occurs before the damage from the first is fully healed. After the
second hit, the best possible outcome for a victim is severe mental disability. Almost
all cases result in death. Although most concussions do not result in second-impact
syndrome, the threat exists and must be considered.
What Causes a Concussion?
Figure 3: Effect of Head Trauma on the Brain [P3}
How does a brain sustain an impact capable of causing a concussion? A
company, Simbex, introduced the Head Impact Telemetry System in 2003. The HITS,
as it is abbreviated, consists of a method of measuring impact on different parts of
the brain by adding accelerometers to typical football helmets. When looking at
samples of football players, the research indicated that angular acceleration, not
linear acceleration, is most responsible for on-field concussions.
Angular
acceleration is the increase in speed of an objects rotation, which in these tests, is
the player’s brain. This countered the helmet industry belief at the time that linear
acceleration was the main cause of concussions. [7] Linear acceleration is easy to
dampen, but angular acceleration is not. The new research would require that
engineers completely rethink the way helmets handle impact.
Helmet Design
Standard helmet design, from the NFL to the high school level, focuses on
packing in as much padding as possible to dampen linear acceleration from impacts.
Modern helmets consist of multiple layers encased in a hard shell. The outermost
layer is made of a hard plastic, and rounded to allow hits to deflect off the sides.
Inside this shell are many thick pads of varying sizes. These pads are in place to
absorb some energy from the outer layer, before it reaches the brain. The front of
the helmet features a facemask composed of plastic coated metal. This front grill
protects the player’s face, and the more recent helmet designs feature shock
absorption systems in between the face guard and the helmet. This design does very
little to limit the rotational acceleration. As a major cause of concussions, rotational
acceleration must be understood and dealt with by helmet engineers, in order to
make the game safer for everyone.
Looking Forward
Figure 4: The Multidirection Impact Protection System [P4]
Engineers attempting to address the concussion epidemic must overcome
many challenges with helmet design. Helmets must be designed around angular
acceleration as a major source of brain trauma but must also stop linear
acceleration. Also, helmet design is limited by the capabilities of the humans that
wear them. The weight and size of the helmet must fall within a familiar range in
order to be adopted by recreational and professional leagues. With new helmet
designs, accessories such as visors and facemasks have to be redesigned to match.
Most importantly, the engineers must understand their audience. Even if the helmet
exceeded every safety rating of the current helmets, player opinion will be the
deciding factor as to whether the helmet ultimately succeeds or fails. If these design
challenges can be met, football will see a major step in the right direction to
reducing concussions.
In Sweden, the Royal institute of Technology is testing a way to adapt
helmets to protect against rotational acceleration.
The system, called the
Multidirectional Impact Protection System (MIPS), works by separating the padding
of the helmet from the head of the wearer with a thin layer of low-friction plastic.
The helmet “floats” of the head of the wearer, allowing some of the rotational force
to dissipate on impact.
Initial tests of the MIPS helmets showed a reduction in rotational
acceleration of 55% [7] compared to traditional helmets in the same conditions. A
reduction of this magnitude means less concussions. Fewer concussions mean a
safer environment for athletes. MIPS has “ licensed its sliding low-friction layer to
about 20 helmet manufacturers, for sports from snowboarding and skiing to cycling
and motocross” and has plans to “start hunting the big game—first American hockey
and then the biggest of all, football.” [7] By addressing rotational acceleration, the
MIPS helmets address the biggest challenge in modern helmet design and the
innovation leads to exciting possibilities. The first steps towards a safer game are
already being worked on, and the ultimate solution to the athletic concussion
epidemic may be available soon.
Closing Thoughts
In conclusion, engineers must take on the challenge of redesigning the
football helmet in order to help secure the safety of athletes’ brains from the big hits
sustained in American football. The current trend of brain-damaging concussions
can be partially stopped by innovative protective equipment. There are a few
promising ideas in the works, such as the MIPS system, but a full solution has not yet
been uncovered.
American football is in dire need of a protective equipment
change, and needs engineers to step up and innovate.
Sources
[1]
S. Fainaru. (2012, December 13). Inside the Numbers: Counting Concussions
in the NFL. Frontline [Website]. Available:http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/
frontline/sports/concussion-watch/inside-the-numbers-counting-concussions-inthe-nfl/
[2]
Associated Press. (2013, August 13). NFL, ex-players agree to $765M
settlement in concussions suit. NFL.com [Website]. Available: http://www.nfl.com
/news/story/0ap1000000235494/article/nfl-explayers-agree-to-765m-settlementin-concussions-suit
[3]
T. Waldron. (2012, July 22). Court Documents Detail NCAA’s Unwillingness
To Act On Concussion Prevention And Treatment. ThinkProgress [Website].
Available: http://thinkprogress.org/sports/2013/07/22/2334231/ncaaconcussions-lawsuit/
[4]
Associated Press. (2013, January 24). Junior Seau's family sues NFL. ESPN
[Website]. Available: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8872778/junior-seaufamily-files-wrongful-death-suit-vs-nfl
[5]
S. Fainaru. (2013, January 22). CTE found in living ex-NFL players. ESPN
[Website]. Available: http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/8867972/uclastudy-finds-signs-cte-living-former-nfl-players-first-time
[6]
Sports Concussion Institute. (2012). Concussion Facts. Sports Concussion
Institute [Website]. Available:
http://www.concussiontreatment.com/concussionfacts.html
[7]
T. Foster. (2012, December 18). The Helmet That Can Save Football. PopSci
[Website]. Available: http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-08/helmetwars-and-new-helmet-could-protect-us-all
Pictures
[P1] Leather Football Helmet from the 1920’s. Available: http://www.sportsmemorabilia-museum.com/football-history/vintage-helmets.shtml
[P2] Junior Seau. Available: http://insidesportsillustrated.com/tag/junior-seau/
[P3] How is a concussion caused?. Available: http://kin450neurophysiology.wikispaces.com/Concussions
[P4] The MIPS design for rotational acceleration. Available:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1452332-could-this-be-the-helmet-that-savesfootball