The Technology and How This Began
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed.
Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident"
- Arthur Schopenhauer, philosopher (1788 – 1860)
Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident"
- Arthur Schopenhauer, philosopher (1788 – 1860)
Early OnIn 2011 a student, Daniel McInnis, having suffered two previous sports concussions in hockey, decided to do a science fair project on concussions. Following experimentation with various energy-absorbing foam materials, he entered his project in the Regional Science Fair in eastern Ontario. His setup had a simple drop test apparatus with a head-like mass containing a G-force sensor; it was connected to a storage oscilloscope. He discovered that a particular set of foams - high density memory foams - exhibit a special behavior that makes them superior to others in their ability to absorb shock. Whereas most foams exhibit a spring-like behavior resulting in a “push back” directly related to the degree of compression, others demonstrate a different behavior. They exhibit more of a constant force reaction, even when the object responsible for the compression is decelerating from high speed to a stopped condition. That quality is one needed in sport helmets.
Daniel replaced the foam in one helmet with a stack of two foams, the thicker being memory foam. Using typical impact situations, while demonstrating actual drop tests, he was able to show the judges at the Science Fair the comparison between his helmet and numerous production helmets. His work resulted in his winning several awards at the Regional. A few weeks later, he attended the National Science Fair in Toronto where he again was the recipient of prizes. Included was the Best Junior Project award. In both science fairs, Daniel was able to show how the helmet technology with the new foam construction significantly out-performs all production helmets on the market today. And that warranted further exploration. Following the fairs, Daniel and his father worked on creating a new manufacturable design using the proven technology. They jointly filed patents; the first granted on January 8, 2013. In December, 2012, just prior to that patent granting, Better Helmets was launched with the primary goal of bringing new concussion resistant helmets to market as soon as possible. |
Science Fair ResultsSeveral comparison tests were made between the concept helmet and many leaders in the helmet market today. Here a typical test result illustrates the consistent outcome of that testing. Chart 1, the concept helmet (its new foams only 1” thicker than the others) produced less than one fifth the G-force. Chart 2 is representative of the other helmets – this result chosen because the manufacturer claimed his product to have superior concussion resistance to others on the market.
To appreciate the test result, recognize the importance of the upper trace line. Chart 1 illustrates the impact on the concept helmet while the head goes from 4.5 m/s to a stop. The result shows near constant force. Note that, with the concept helmet, the flatness of the rectangular shaped upper trace is the much hoped for result. That same impact was directed to current production helmets. In contrast to Chart 1, on Chart 2 note the high spike of deceleration – a startling comparison to the flatness of the concept helmet test. Again, and worth repeating: the particular helmet represented by Chart 2 has been chosen only because of its claim to be superior to others in concussion prevention. Repeatedly, with many other helmet brands, the tests dramatically illustrated the same inability to handle the kind of force that results in serious head injury, including concussion. Chart 1: New Helmet - 30G
|