Games such aa American football pose a particularly high risk for injuries that can have devastating long-term consequences for individuals.
Nicholas Cecchi, a PhD candidate at Stanford University and lead author of the study, said: “Concussion and repeated head impacts are still a major problem in contact sports and we believe that improved helmet technology can play an important role in reducing the risk of brain injury.”
The team built a finite element model, used by engineers to simulate performance before manufacturing, of an American football helmet incorporating 21 liquid shock absorbers.
This helmet was tested against simulations of the helmet performance evaluation protocol used by the National Football League (NFL) and its performance was compared to that of four existing helmets.
Due to the mounting evidence that the cumulative effect of impacts which don’t cause diagnosed concussions can also have serious health consequences, the team added...