Protective gear for protecting individuals from impact forces by transferring axial forces into tangential forces directed away from the individual. The protective apparatus includes a first plate assembly including a first end and a second end; a second plate assembly including a first end and a second end; a load-bearing hinge connecting the first end of the first plate assembly to the first end of the second plate assembly; a first toothed plate attached to the second end of the first plate assembly; and a second toothed plate attached to the second end of the second plate assembly. The load-bearing hinge and the toothed plates tangentially distribute impact forces between the plate assemblies and around, rather than axially toward, the body or object being protected. The apparatus may further include sensors and electronics for detecting a physical property of the protective apparatus, and transmitting signals to a remote server.

An attachment system is provided for attaching a neck protector to a face mask. The attachment system includes a cord and a connector where the connector comprises a first portion and a second portion with corresponding engaging elements. The cord is adapted to be disposed through openings in the neck protector and the face mask and the engaging elements are adapted to connect the first portion of the connector to the second portion of the connector once the cord is disposed through the openings to attach the neck protector to the face mask. Kits for attaching a neck protector to a face mask are also provided where the kits include one or both of the neck protector and face mask together with the attachment system.

A guard to protect the neck of a person absorbs kinetic energy from an object that, if not for the guard, would strike the person's neck. The guard includes a body that has a material that deforms when an object strikes it, a shape configured to cover the posterior region of each of the cervical vertebrae of a person's spine when the guard is worn by a person to protect their neck, and a coupler to position and hold the body over the posterior region of each of the cervical vertebrae of a person's spine. The guard's body also includes a first region positioned above a person's first cervical vertebrae, when the guard is worn by a person to protect their neck, and a second region positioned above a person's last cervical vertebrae, when the guard is worn by a person to protect their neck.

A protective foam material and pads are disclosed herein. The material is a rounded foam pellet having a hole through the center of the pellet. The pellets may be arranged and interconnected to form a pad. These pads may be applied to persons, animals, or other objects for protective functions.

A head and neck restraining system is disclosed herein. The system includes a helmet, a neck brace structure, and a tether system. The neck brace structure includes a neck extension that is attached to shoulder extensions. The tether system includes a single tether with double thickness terminal ends. The double thickness terminal ends have a plurality of pass-through openings that are adapted to receive a removable securing pin that threadedly secures the tether to the neck brace. The tether also secures the helmet to the neck brace and limits its range of motion during an accident. The tether is removable secured to the neck brace on one side then extends from the neck brace to the helmet, then continues from the helmet to the back of the neck brace, then continues further from the back of the neck brace to the opposite side of the helmet, and then is removable secured to the other side of the neck brace. The tether may be slideablely or fixedly attached to the helmet and neck brace.

An impact transfer device comprising a device body, an impact zone shield associated with a first body region, and at least one body contact associated with a second body region, each body contact comprising at least one contact surface, and at least one attachment structure configured to attach the impact transfer device to a person. At least a portion of a force applied to the impact surface is transferred to the second body region of the person through the contact surfaces.

A tilt resistor is interposed between shoulder pads or other torso support structures and a helmet. The helmet is coupled to one side of the tilt resistor and the torso support is coupled to another side of the tilt resistor. The tilt resistor acts as a pivot joint allowing the helmet to tilt about a horizontal lateral axis relative to the torso support. An acceleration sensor associated with the tilt resistor locks the tilt resistor so that the helmet stops tilting when tilting acceleration sensed by the accelerometer is greater than a desired maximum amount. The tilt resistor is coupled to the torso support, preferably through a collar, which allows rotation of the tilt resistor about a vertical axis. Stops are provided to limit both rotation about a vertical axis and tilting motion within limited ranges that are preferably adjustable.

A shoulder sling and pillow system that will house a beverage and a cellphone. The system is designed to ergonomically fit around the waist of a user and the system will also allow a cellphone to be charged. The system will use removable straps that will attach to the foam pillow and to the brace of the shoulder sling and pillow system.

A novel radiation-protective neck support which provides cervical support and radiation protection for the neck and thyroid of a user, said support comprises (i) a soft collar portion which comprises a soft, flexible supportive material structure and is leaded, and (ii) a thyroid shield portion which descends from the soft collar portion and is leaded. The thyroid shield portion can descend as a flap from the soft collar portion or it can attach in other ways to achieve the protection desired for the thyroid. During surgery, the radiation-protective neck support is worn by a user, with the soft collar portion surrounding the neck of the user, thereby providing anatomical support and also providing radiation protection for the neck. With the thyroid shield portion descending as a flap from the soft collar portion, it will overlay the thyroid of the user and thereby provide radiation protection for the thyroid.

The invention includes a protective headpiece and components thereof and methods for their use. Preferred examples comprise a helmet component, a plurality of piers joining said helmet component to a shoulder pad component and an inner hat component permitting the wearer the ability to move the head from side to side and/or up and down within the helmet component without moving the helmet component. The helmet component may comprise a plurality of fluid-filled floating plates or floats on the inner surface thereof to cushion the head against impact during activities including, for example, football, race car driving, military activities and the like.