Helmet a ‘game’ changer

An innovative helmet design protects football players from concussions that can lead to severe brain injuries, according to Stanford University scientists developing a prototype that should reduce the impact of hits to the head by one-third or more.

Their secret? A carbon-fiber helmet with 21 liquid shock absorbers (above).

“Most of the members of our team have a personal connection to traumatic brain injury and we care deeply about ensuring longterm athlete brain health,” lead study author Nicholas Cecchi said. Professional athletes are at risk of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a severe condition that kills nerve cells in the brain, from repeated blows to the head.

The study published Friday in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology measured the performance under impact of various helmets using the Head Accelerate Response Metric, or HARM score. The helmet with liquid shock absorbers had an average reduction in score of 33%.