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Brandon DeLoach

Tatum

STEM

November 21, 2019

Shock Absorbing Concussion Helmet

A concussion is a awfully common type of mild traumatic brain injury. It occurs when

the brain slams into the skull due to an impact or violent shake and begins to bruise and swell

causing the delicate brain cells to become damaged. The damaging of brain cells can cause side

effects such as “headache, nausea, …dizziness, …[and] sensitivity to light” (University of

Pittsburgh University Marketing Communications, n.d.). Concussions are extremely prevalent in

sports and recreational activities such as football and cycling. In fact, “more than 300,000 sports-

related concussions occur annually in the U.S” (American Association of Neurological Surgeons,

n.d.). Researchers have found multiple techniques to prevent concussions, but wearing a helmet

while performing contact or hazardous activities has been found to be one of the greatest ways to

help prevent one. However, there is not a concussion proof helmet, only helmets that can help to

prevent them. Our helmet is a suitable concussion prevention device due to it not cracking the

egg or setting off the 5G sensor in the egg drop test from 3.528 meters.

Shock absorbing materials make up our entire helmet’s exterior and most of its interior,

allowing it to be a feasible concussion prevention device. In many cases, helmets made of “a

hard outer shell” have been found to not be effective against concussions due to the fact that the

“hard shell spreads…the impact force over a large area”, but doesn’t decrease the force

(University of Queensland, 2018). Our helmet, however, has no hard-outer shell and instead of

spreading the impact force, it increases the time of impact, ultimately lessening the force exerted
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on the helmet. We used materials such as accordion-folded paper, paper rings, and balled-up t-

shirts to create a cushioning that would increase the time of impact so the entire helmet would

experience a lower force when colliding with the ground. Since the helmet had a lower force of

impact, the egg had an even lower force, due to the laws of momentum and energy conservation,

allowing it to not crack or concuss.

The stability provided by the egg carton and popsicle sticks inside of the helmet cause

our helmet to be a satisfactory concussion prevention device. We limited how much the egg

would be able to move in the helmet by placing it in-between two egg cartons that were held in

the box by hot glue and popsicle sticks. This simple structure gave the egg enough support so

that it didn’t recoil and crack on the sides of the helmet. We based this simple design on the

“Leonardo Da Vinci” style egg drop that uses the same stick framed box technique we used. This

type of egg drop works well because the popsicle sticks form a frame that “acts as the outer layer

of protection” (Stepps, 2018). This frame gives the egg to a massive amount of support and

stability, but still maintains elasticity to keep it from cracking on impact.

Some might argue that although the helmet we created passed the egg drop test from

3.528 meters, it is not a suitable concussion prevention device due to it not being able to fit on a

human head. However, our helmet design can easily be created with better materials that actual

helmets are made of and created into a helmet that would be wearable by the public. The design

of multiple shock absorbers, both on the inside and outside of the helmet, to increase the time of

impact could even be added to already existing helmets to increase their ability to prevent

concussions.

Throughout the process of this egg drop, I have come to better understand various

physics concepts such as momentum, impact force, and conservation of energy. I also am now
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more experienced with the design process and scientific method. Future versions of this design

could implement a lighter mass of the helmet to directly decrease the final velocity. With a

smaller final velocity, the helmet would experience a reduced force of collision. Improved shock

absorbing technology could also be implemented to directly lower the force to the point that the

egg could potentially feel a minuscule amount of impact force.

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References

American Association of Neurological Surgeons. (n.d.). Concussion – Symptoms, Diagnosis

and Safety Guidelines. Retrieved from https://www.aans.org/Patients/Neurosurgical-

Conditions-and-Treatments/Concussion

American Association of Neurological Surgeons. (n.d.). Sports-related Head Injury. Retrieved

from https://www.aans.org/en/Patients/Neurosurgical-Conditions-and-

Treatments/Sports-related-Head-Injury

Stepp, S. (2018, March 13). Egg Drop Device Ideas. Retrieved from https://sciencing.com/egg-

drop-device-ideas-8493310.html

University of Pittsburgh University Marketing Communications Webteam. (n.d.). Concussions.

Retrieved from http://www.neurosurgery.pitt.edu/centers-excellence/brain-and-spine-

injury/concussions

University of Queensland. (2018, June 6). Do helmets protect against concussion? Retrieved

from https://qbi.uq.edu.au/concussion/do-helmets-protect-against-concussion