Articles including protective gear for a variety of sports and activities provide protection from one or both of linear and angular forces that either directly or indirectly impact the gear when it is donned. The articles include at least two layers of material that provide multimodal energy dissipation to minimize the extent of transmission of impact forces to tissue.

A body impact protection system includes an inner layer and an impact force dampening and defusing structure. The inner layer includes a material composition and is adjacent to a body part when the body impact protection system is worn. The impact force dampening and defusing structure is juxtaposed to the inner layer and includes a plurality of components. The components function to reduce pressure on the body part from an impact force on a layer by layer basis. Each layer of the system dampens and defuses the impact force such that, by the time it reaches the body part, it has been substantially attenuated and spread over a large area.

An energy absorbing apparatus includes particles with nanopores in a liquid. A further aspect employs a reusable energy absorbing apparatus including gas-liquid interactions in nanopores. Another aspect of the present apparatus uses oversolubility of gas in a solution to enhance bubble nucleation in hydrophobic nanopores or nanochannels, which suppresses gas outflow while promoting liquid outflow from particles. Still another aspect includes anions within an aqueous electrolytic solution, containing nanoporous material therein.

The subject disclosure describes, among other things, illustrative embodiments of an impact protection device that comprises the following elements: a machine, a protective structural member, and a fluid holding member. The impact protection device is designed to protect a user from an impact to the protective structural member by dissipating a portion of the kinetic energy of the impact. Machine operation translates into a controlled movement between elements of the impact protection device that deform the fluid holding member, thereby displacing a fluid. This controlled movement also dictates a throttling profile that regulates the amount of damping; thereby managing the portion of kinetic energy dissipated. The machine can be a mechanical assembly incorporating levers, cams and or computerized controllers.

A helmet assembly includes an upper member, a lower member, and rigid or semi-rigid plates connected between the two members. The helmet may include a series of fluidly connected air compartments beneath the plates is disclosed. Embodiments of the helmet may dissipate impact energy in multiple ways including deformation of the plates, shifting of the plates, cushioning of the plates against a resilient compressible material present in the upper member, compression of air within the air compartments, movement of air within the air compartments, and/or expansion of air in non-impacted sections of the air compartments which causes the shifting of non-impacted plates. Springs with or without resilient, compressible inserts may be positioned between movable plates and a frame member. A spine including compressible material may extend along a top section of the helmet and connect plates on opposite sides of the helmet.

Impact energy absorbing devices, in some embodiments, may be configured as a helmet having suspension elements employing “rate activated tethers” (RATs), a speed-sensitive flexible strapping material. The RATs are configured to suspend a helmet shell on the head of a wearer, so that impact to the helmet causes extension of the RATs. The RATs provide for: (1) steady force over long strokes, and (2) a stroke force that increases with increasing impact velocity. Standard impact testing of a helmeted headform shows that the RAT suspension decreases head accelerations by 50% relative to a standard suspension system. This decrease in head acceleration is expected to lead to a reduced likelihood of brain and head injury. Because the RATs absorb energy during tensile extension, they offer increases in energy absorption efficiency. These RAT suspensions can potentially replace or complement existing helmet pad and suspension systems in military, sports, and industrial safety-wear.

An improved design for a helmet to reduce injuries caused by helmet-to-helmet collisions. Certain embodiments include novel quick release features that permit the detachment of a facemask from a helmet in 30 seconds or less so as to attend to an injured player in a rapid fashion. Other aspects relate to impact energy absorbing constructions employing an inner layer, an outer layer spaced apart from the inner padding layer, at least one layer that includes an array of polygonal structures, and at least one layer having a shock-absorbing elastomer, a visco-elastic polymer, an impact dispersing gel, or shape memory material. Still other embodiments include a wireless device with a sensor module coupled to the football helmet generating sensor data in response to an impact to the football helmet.

An impact reducing headgear is disclosed which utilizes dynamically responsive materials which undergo physical changes during exposure to impact forces, such that physical changes or phase changes absorb energy. The helmet may be constructed with a dual shell structure and a bladder, where the dynamically responsive materials may be contained. An embodiment for a comfortable fit which remains tight to the wearer's head is disclosed.

A helmet assembly that includes an outer shell having an outer surface and an inner surface and defines a shell interior, a pad system disposed in the shell interior, and at least a first bladder member positioned between the inner surface of the outer shell and the pad system. The first bladder member defines a bladder interior and a non-Newtonian fluid is disposed in the bladder interior.

A helmet including a body, an outer shell having an inner surface and an outer surface and a plurality of shock absorbers, the shock absorbers being positioned internal of the outer shell. A first set of shock absorbers has a first shock absorption characteristic and a second set of shock absorbers has a second shock absorption characteristic, the second shock absorption characteristic being different than the first shock absorber.