A sample of the elastic material called C3 developed by Cardiff University (Courtesy of the NFL)
A team of researchers at Cardiff University in Wales won the NFL’s latest crowdsourcing initiative, developing a unique padding material to use as a helmet liner.
By winning HeadHealthTech Challenge V, for which it received $116,155, the Cardiff team became the first recipients for this grant from outside the U.S., although this technology was also awarded $250,000 in a 2015 NFL competition sponsored by GE and Under Armour.
Cardiff designed a multi-layered, elastic material called C3 with high energy absorbency. The engineers designed C3 using complex computer simulations and have used advanced additive manufacturing (3D printing) to create the new material with precise geometry.
“Computational modeling allows us to analyze the performance of a wide range of geometries, to identify that which has the potential to protect the head against a greater breadth of collision speeds than current helmets,” project leader Peter Theobald, a senior lecturer at Cardiff University, said in a statement. “Our skills in additive manufacturing now enable us to build these complex designs, making these high-performance materials a reality.”
Previous Tech Challenges have had multiple winners, but there is no set quota for each round. Duke University’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute, which judges the entries, deemed Cardiff’s the most qualified among this batch of submissions.
“The Tech Challenge series continues to champion creative, innovative ideas, like those of Cardiff’s, to advance athlete safety,” said Jeff Miller, the NFL’s EVP of health and safety initiatives, in a statement. “The crowd-sourcing model advances the commercialization of new and exciting equipment designs.”
“Our team at Duke CTSI is excited to work with Cardiff to help them refine their design for football and ensure they have the resources to get their innovative technology to market,” added Dr. Barry Myers, the director of innovation at Duke CTSI and consultant to the NFL Players Association. “We look forward to continuing to work with FRI and the NFL to connect the next wave of innovators with capital and mentorship to advance their equipment designs.”
SportTechie Takeaway
The NFL has been crowdsourcing ideas to mitigate the concussion crisis. Vicis remains the competition’s highlight, having moved from laboratory to NFL field in just a few years, and with a top safety ranking, too. Other innovative padding materials have been honored in the HeadHealthTech Challenges—liquid crystalline elastomers (Impressio), energy-absorbent textile fibers (Corsair), a restricted air-flow system (Windpact), and more. Now Cardiff’s padding will join that mix. The league is embracing a wide swatch of materials and technologies in hopes one will rise above the rest.
