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Advanced Bicycle Helmet Technology for Prevention of Traumatic Brain Injury

Award Number: R42NS074734
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/15/2011
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 02/29/2016

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Advanced Bicycle Helmet Technology for Prevention of Traumatic Brain Injury - DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an acquired neurological disorder that can cause long-lasting disability with limited treatment options. Therefore, preventative strategies must be emphasized in high-risk activities to reduce the individual and societal burden of this pervasive injury. Bicycle activities account for 20% of all sports-related TBI, with 42,000 annual injuries in the US. In an effort to alleviate the incidence and severity of these head injuries, helmet usage is now recommended, and in some states mandatory. However, contemporary bicycle helmets are not designed to mitigate rotational head acceleration, which is a clear physical mechanism of TBI. A novel helmet using High Impact Velocity Engineering (HIVE) technology is therefore proposed that combines recent advances in material science with an innovative suspension technique to provide superior energy absorption in a lightweight and cost-effective design. A key innovation of the HIVE helmet is that its structural properties behave similar to a torsional spring and damper, and thus enable the HIVE helmet to attenuate severe rotational head accelerations. The STTR Phase I delivered conclusive evidence on the feasibility of HIVE technology. HIVE prototype helmets yielded up to 46% reduction in rotational head acceleration and up to 44% reduction in predicted TBI risk compared to standard bicycle helmets. The aim of this STTR Phase II research and development strategy is to formally optimize the performance of HIVE technology by combining computational modeling and physical validation. The optimized HIVE technology will be translated into a commercially viable helmet design. The resulting HIVE helmets will be evaluated in vertical and oblique impacts to quantify performance improvements compared to standard helmets. If successful, the final HIVE helmet design can readily be commercialized to offer advanced head protection for bicyclists and to reduce the incidence and severity of bicycle-related TBI.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2015 ( Subtotal = $338,552 )
2015	2015	APEX BIOMEDICAL COMPANY LLC	501 NORTH GRAHAM	PORTLAND	OR	97227	MULTNOMAH	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	3	4/8/2015	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$338,552
														Subtotal = $338,552

Issue Date FY: 2014 ( Subtotal = $385,311 )
2014	2014	APEX BIOMEDICAL COMPANY LLC	501 NORTH GRAHAM	PORTLAND	OR	97227	MULTNOMAH	USA	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	2	3/14/2014	COMPETING CONTINUATION	$385,311
														Subtotal = $385,311

Grand Total All Awards = $723,863

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Advanced Bicycle Helmet Technology for Prevention of Traumatic Brain Injury

Award Number: R42NS074734

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/15/2011

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 02/29/2016

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