A pressure attenuating helmet is provided including separate plates having a plate thickness, an outer surface, under surface, and adjacent edges. The plates joined along the adjacent edges to the other ones of the plurality of plates, forming a helmet shell. Perforated flanges formed along the under surface at the adjacent edges of the plates, the flanges formed inwardly along a line from the adjacent edge of each of the plates extending in the direction of the thickness of the plates. Perforation in the flanges spaced equidistantly in an array along a long direction of the flanges, enabled to accept sutures and aligned flange-to-flange. A network of elastomer splines shaped and positioned to separate the adjacent plates both along the adjacent edges and the perforated flanges. Sutures through the perforations securing the plates together along the adjacent edges and foam cushions are provided between the plates and a wearers head.

A helmet body includes an outer shell having an inner surface, an outer surface, and an outer shell lower edge extending between the inner surface and the outer surface, the outer shell further comprising at least two shoulder pad recesses positioned at a lower edge of the outer shell on a respective left and right sides of the helmet; and an energy management liner adjacent to the inner surface of the outer shell and comprising at least two shoulder pads formed of a foamed energy management material, each of the at least two shoulder pads received into one of the at least two shoulder pad recesses on the respective left or right side of the helmet.

Helmets and methods for manufacturing a helmet are described. An example helmet includes a shell and a shock absorbing liner attached to the shell. The shock absorbing liner includes a cavity. The helmet a shock absorbing insert formed of a material different than the material of the shock absorbing liner. The cavity is configured to retain the shock absorbing insert.

A weak value amplification (WVA) Corolis vibratory gyroscope (CVG) is provided for measuring angular rate. The WVA CVG includes a vibratory structure that induces a deflection; an optical weak value amplifier that amplifies the deflection as an amplified signal; and a weak value detector to measure the amplified signal to determine the angular rate. Further exemplary embodiments provide first and second plates, a laser, a polarizing filter, a beam-splitter, left and right mirrors, a half-wave plate, a retarder and a detector. The first plate has four corners. The second plate has a flat surface that contacts one corner of the first plate at 45. The laser emits an emission beam of photons. The polarizing filter polarizes the emission beam. The beam-splitter divides the beam into left and right beams. The left and right mirrors reflect respective the left and right beams. The half-wave plate shifts polarization of the left and right beams by 90. The retarder imposes a phase difference between the left and right beams. The detector measures the left and right beams. The second plate vibrationally translates back and forth normal to the flat surface. The left and right beams reflect from the respective right and left mirrors, passing through the beam-splitter and reaching the detector.

The invention relates to a multi-step method with a number of processes and sub-processes that interact to allow for the selection, design and/or manufacture of a protective sports helmet for a specific player, or a recreational sports helmet for a specific person wearing the helmet. Once the desired protective sports helmet or recreational sports helmet is selected, information is collected from the individual player or wearer regarding the shape of his/her head and information about the impacts he/she has received while participating in the sport or activity. The collected information is processed to develop a bespoke energy attenuation assembly for use in the protective helmet. The energy attenuation assembly includes at least one energy attenuation member with a unique structural makeup and/or chemical composition. The energy attenuation assembly is purposely engineered to improve comfort and fit, as well as how the helmet responds when an impact or series of impacts are received by 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 is purposely engineered to change how the front portion responds to an impact force applied substantially normal to the front portion as compared to how other portions of the shell respond to that impact force. In one version, the impact attenuation member is a cantilevered segment formed in the front portion of the shell.

A sports helmet has composite helmet liner to improve and customize the fit of the helmet to the wearer. The composite liner consists of a base liner and a selected group of fit elements, for example, fit pods, removably attached to the inner surface of the base liner (i.e., the surface of the base liner facing the wearer's head). The fit pods are selected from a set of fit pods having different properties, for example, different sizes, thicknesses, densities, and cross-sections. The selection of fit pods from the set may be aided by taking anatomical measurements of the wearer's head and analyzing the measurements with respect to the geometry of the helmet to produce a pressure map. The measurements may be taken by physical contact or by non-contact means. The fit pods may be selected to optimize a pressure map, and thus optimize the fit, for a given wearer of the helmet.

An energy absorbing protective material includes an encapsulating layer defining two or more pouches, which define an internal closed cavity. A frangible glass foam material may be located within the cavity and configured to absorb an impact force upon the pouch. A non-frangible material may also be located within the cavity adjacent at least a portion of the frangible foam glass material. The encapsulating layer may include vinyl, rubber and/or plastic. The non-frangible material may include padding, rubber, polyurethane, polystyrene, and/or expanded polystyrene.

A protective helmet to be worn by a player engaged in a sport comprises a flexible outer shell and a multi-layer liner assembly disposed within the outer shell. The multi-layer liner assembly includes an inner-layer, a middle-layer and an outer-layer, and permits relative rotational movement between said layers when the helmet is worn by the player and receives an impact. The inner-layer is made from a first material with a first density and is mechanically coupled to the outer-layer without adhesive. The outer-layer is made from a second material with a second density that is greater than the first density of the inner-layer. The middle-layer is made from a third material that has a third density that is greater than the first density. The outer-layer also has a thickness that is greater than a thickness of the inner-layer and varies between a front region of the outer-layer and a crown region of the outer-layer.

Embodiments include a protective helmet including a protective shell having an interior surface and an exterior surface. A padding layer is affixed to the interior surface. The padding layer includes a compliant material and a frangible material, such as glass foam. At least the frangible material is enclosed in a container. A detection circuit detects compromise of the frangible material, and outputs an indicator in the event the compromise is detected. The detection circuit may include a frangible wire configured to break in the event the frangible material is compromised. The indicator may include an LED, and/or radio-frequency signals. The radio-frequency signal may include an identifier for the helmet. The padding layer may include a plurality of pads each containing compliant material and frangible material. The plurality of pads may include one or more fasteners for releaseably affixing the pads to the interior surface of the protective shell.