A force transfer system includes a body and an article. The article includes a first portion forming a first lateral axis and a second portion forming a second lateral axis, the axes being offset. An intermediate member is disposed between the first portion and the second portion, and holds the second portion to the first portion. A stimulus received by the first portion causes a temporary alteration of the intermediate member from an initial condition, the alteration of the intermediate member thereby causing a change in a characteristic of the second portion. The intermediate member subsequently returns to the initial condition, thereby causing a change in a characteristic of the first portion, which is influenced by the change in the characteristic of the second portion. The change in the characteristic of the first and second portions prevents at least a portion of the stimulus from reaching the body.

A system for proactively adjusting to impact forces has first and second walls spaced apart from one another to define a stationary enclosed cavity therebetween; a movable member inside the enclosed cavity; an actuator; a proximity sensor; computer memory; a processor in data communication with the actuator, the proximity sensor, and the computer memory; programming causing the processor to determine a potential impact location on at least one of the first and second walls using data obtained from the proximity sensor; and programming causing the processor to activate the actuator based on the potential impact location, activation of the actuator causing the movable member to move inside the enclosed cavity prior to receiving the impact forces.

A chin-bar for a helmet with a crumple zone and an integrated air-flow system formed from passages running internally from the bottom to the top of the chin-bar. A scoop at the bottom of the chin-bar controls air flow. Diffusers at the top provide de-misting and fresh air to the rider.

Protective devices, such as, for example, helmets, have one or more efficient, fluid-containing shock absorbers in place of protective devices' original shock absorbing material to minimize the overall weight of the protective devices. The more efficient, fluid-containing shock absorbers yield improved impact force attenuation but occupy substantially less volume and, consequently, less weight, than the original shock absorbing material.

An impact attenuation helmet construction having a rigid outer shell, a rigid inner shell adapted to being worn upon a wearer's head and arranged a spatially separated distance from the outer shell. A plurality of resilient plasticized members, each having circular cross sectional profiles, are provided and extend between the inner and outer shells in a three dimensional array in order to spatially support said outer shell a distance from an outer surface of said inner shell. The resilient members include any of disk or sphere shaped components, each having outer and inner flattened mounting locations securing to opposing locations of the inner and outer shells.

There is provided a helmet engageable with a human head portion. The helmet includes an inner shell, an outer shell and a shock absorbing layer. The shock absorbing layer is located between the inner shell and the outer shell, include at least one 3D structure and is defined by a plurality of interconnected 5 surfaces with a plurality of openings defined inbetween. A designing process is provided, including steps of providing a virtual inner shell model and outer shell model of the virtual helmet model, positioning virtual curves on the virtual inner shell/outer shell model, and generating virtual minimal surfaces. A manufacturing process is 10 further provided, including steps of conceiving the virtual helmet model using at least some steps of the designing process and additive manufacturing at least a portion of the helmet.

A protective football helmet is provided having a one-piece molded shell with an impact attenuation system. This system includes an impact attenuation member formed in an extent of the front shell portion by removing material from the front portion. The impact attenuation member changes how a portion of the shell having the impact attenuation member responds to an impact force having a component applied substantially normal to the impact attenuation member as compared to how the left and right side portions respond to the impact force.

Embodiments are directed towards a helmet adapted for use by a human being for a variety of activities. The helmet includes a shell, a plurality of FAEs, and at least one rigid component. The shell maybe configured and arranged to cover a portion of a wearer's head. The plurality of FAEs may be separately positioned adjacent to the shell's interior surface. Each FAE may include at least one disc spring that is adapted for absorbing forces. The at least one rigid component may be disposed within the shell and adjacent to the plurality of FAEs. In this way, the FAEs may be between the shell's interior surface and the at least one rigid component. When a force is applied to a location on the shell's exterior surface, it may be substantially absorbed by at least one of the FAEs positioned adjacent to the location on the shell's interior surface.

A system for protecting a head of a wearer from an impact force includes a helmet defining an interior space for housing the head and at least one damper coupled to the helmet at a first end and extending therefrom along a longitudinal axis to a second end. The damper includes of a plurality compressible energy damper elements concentrically arranged about the longitudinal axis. The plurality of compressible energy damper elements includes an outer damper element and an inner damper element. The outer damper element surrounds the inner damper element and extends to the second end of the damper. The outer damper element has a first uncompressed length and the inner element has a second uncompressed length that is different from the first uncompressed length. Alternatively, the plurality of compressible damper elements are concentrically arranged and are arranged end to end in series.

Protective gear such as a helmet includes multiple shell layers connected using one or more concertinaed structures. The concertinaed structures allow the shell layers greater flexibility to move relative to each other when mechanical forces are imparted onto the outer shell layer. When energy and impact transformer layers are disposed between the shell layers, the concertinaed structures may also allow improvement function of the energy and impact transformer layers.