Vehicle Roof Inflatable Impact Bladder (VRIIB)

The goal of this research and development effort is development of an easily integrated, reliable and scalable combat vehicle interior roof covering that will mitigate blunt impact injuries due to rapid deceleration of the occupant head and neck against the interior roof military vehicles. HMC's Vehicle Roof Inflatable Impact Bladder (VRIIB)is designed inflate using commercial off the shelf (COTS) or customized COTS airbag inflator technology during the course of any significant vehicle impact event, particularly those caused by AVL or IED detonation or collisions producing rapid upward, oblique or rolling acceleration of the vehicles chassis and its occupants. When inflated along the interior surface of a military vehicle roof, the rate of deceleration of an occupants body will be slowly reduced as the head, neck and/or shoulders impact against the inflated VRIIB structure. The transfer of momentum and kinetic energy from the occupants head, neck and shoulders to the inflated VRIIB structure will facilitate prolonged deceleration that is manifest as structural deformation and localized pressurization of the VRIIB structure. This reduction in the rate of head and neck impact deceleration will reduce the occurrence of acute brain and spine injuries, and death that typically result during such impacts.