A Software Tool to Assess Injury Risk Associated with Mechanical Exposures From Wearing Head Supported Mass

Military helmet systems increase the likelihood of low and high-severity injuries, but the additional risk of neck injuries associated with Head Supported Devices (HSDs) has not been quantified. It is necessary to determine safe and tolerable limits of HSD mass, spatial distribution around helmet systems, and exposure schedule, as they are important design criteria for future military helmets. BioSensics LLC, in partnership with the Center for Advanced Orthopaedic Studies at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center will develop injury criteria that describe the relationship between the physical characteristics of a Head Supported Mass (HSM) and the exposure schedule to it based on expert opinion from spine surgeons, ex-vivo and in-vivo testing, and finite element analysis. These criteria will be included in a risk assessment tool that will ascertain the probability of adverse outcomes - such as load intolerance due to muscle fatigue, intervertebral disk bulging and herniation, and cervical spondylosis - as a function of loads sustained while wearing a HSM in a stationary setting.