For several years, the NFL has faced accusations from retired players who say the league has not made to prevent players suffer brain damage . This has led to a vigorous debate accusing the NFL of hiding information and cases of players who have died from diseases related to brain damage.
Increased concussion in players, led to the change of the regulation NFL and today, the blows to the head are the most penalized during the game fouls. But this was not enough. Fortunately this could change thanks to this new helmet that is focused on protecting the brain of the players.
VICIS ZERO1
Although it sounds incredible, the helmets used today, retain much of the design and materialsapproved in 1980 , which has sought to make them stronger and lighter, and have been adding more ergonomic designs pads, sensors, masks with more visibility, among other things, but the reality is that a blow to the head complete with helmet, still very dangerous.
Thanks to a collaboration between the University of Washington and helmet manufacturer VICIS where neurosurgeons have intervened and engineers have succeeded in developing the already supposed to be the most important in football helmets advance. The ZERO1 designed to absorb shocks in an efficient manner, making the movement of the head inside the helmet is minimized.
In previous years they have released developments that seek to reduce the damage caused by blows to the head, where we have seen a magnet system that serves to repel impacts as well as a helmet designed with impact panels created by Riddell, but the reality is that they are very expensive and have not proven to be very efficient.
The ZERO1 has four protective layers, but the most important is the outside which is able to deform and return to its original shape before the next impact, the second layer is a cushioning system before frame protecting the head, making each stroke is between these two layers, plus the inner frame is adapted so that the head does not move inside the helmet.
Besides this, the ZERO1 feature quick-release mechanism, a crucial element if the player is in an emergency and needed to be immobilized.
ZERO1 helmet is the result of two years of work, and finally the project has been approved by the NFL and the NCAA, will be used during the 2016-2017 season and will retail for approximately $ 1500.Its makers hope that with the passage of time is adopted by other leagues and this will make the price decrease.
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