| abstract |
A protective helmet can reduce the likelihood of a player sustaining a brain injury while engaging in a contact sporting event. The helmet can include a hard outer shell with exterior and interior surfaces. The helmet can include an impact-absorbing layer adjacent to the interior surface of the outer shell. The impact-absorbing layer can have a base layer and flexible raised portions extending from the base layer toward the interior surface of the outer shell. During a collision with another player, the flexible raised portions can topple over to allow the outer shell to rotate relative to the impact-absorbing layer. The flexible raised portions can topple over and increase the duration of a collision, thereby reducing the peak rotational acceleration experienced by the player's head's center of gravity and, in turn, reducing the likelihood of the player sustaining a brain injury from the collision. |