The patented V2 helmet neck shoulder pad one piece design by Dr Todd Aaron of Philadelphia in conjunction with Smarthinking Inc with the collaboration of industrial designer Bradford Waugh
What would a modern football helmet design incorporate ? What features would or could be added to reduce concussion impact? Medical Internist Dr Todd Aaron of Philadelphia, agonized over just such a query as a result of seeing his daughter suffer a equestrian concussion. Her injury motivated her father, ” I vowed that I would find a way to protect all athletes so they could safely participate in sports.”
The prototype V2 helmet one piece shoulder pad was tested at in excess of 100 Gs at Biokinetics and Associates in Ottawa. The testing revealed the V2 capable of reducing the incidence of concussions by shedding head impact forces into the torso. The device also appears to resist twisting which is a significant difference to wearing current unsupported football helmets. Reduction of rotation has been championed by many researchers as the strongest force reaction to be decreased during the head motion of a potential concussion contact event. This design was first reported in 2009. I would hope that football helmet manufacturers are beginning to evaluate just such a device.
Let’s look at the HANS device:
HANS device R3 Unit Safety Solutions http://www.stockcarracing.com
As you can see with the drag racer the racing drivers have already embraced the Head and Neck Supporting device into their equipment. Racing drivers don’t tackle people like football players do but they do have significant impact decelerations. In violent race crashes the HANS device has reduced both the reactive head motion plus head rotation conversion by transferring the dispersed forces into the tension webbed shoulder harness motion restricted race drivers torso.
What might a hockey helmet H.A.N.T. device look like as a V2 prototype ? Would hockey players, especially professionals be willing to change their equipment the way the car racers have wearing the HANS device?
V2 Prototype helmet brace one piece attached shoulder device by Dr Aaron Todd industrial design by Bradford Waugh
I think that Dr Todd Aaron has found a significantly better way to protect athletes from concussion inducing impacts by shedding those impact forces into the muscular torsos of athletes.
It is the heartfelt hope of http://www.cerebrovortox.com to open debate onto revealing better ways of accurate understanding of brain concussions plus improving preventions toward reducing brain concussion from happening in the first place.
