I-Corps: Improving bicycle helmets for children

Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University, Blacksburg VA

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of properly fitted bicycle helmets for children. The proposed effort seeks to reduce head injuries. The use of poorly fitting helmets by children results in greater risk of injuries such as concussion and head injuries. This innovation also has the potential to improve fit, compliance, and safety in other applications that require helmets and other forms of personal protective equipment and may be useful for construction workers, emergency responders, military personnel, and athletes in other sports. This I-Corps project is based on the development of a bicycle helmet fit for children using 3D scanning, surface generation, mesostructure design, finite element analysis (FEA). This technology may also result in new methods of product development for personal protective equipment. The proposed process and technology involves thermoplastic mesostructures that can be repeated and additively manufactured, with comparable or improved impact resistance compared to the traditional foams used in helmets. Additively manufactured mesostructures may result in a more personalized fit, circumventing slow, traditional helmet design and manufacturing processes and allowing for a safer, bespoke helmet that is affordable. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.