Oblique multi-impact helmet testing protocol for snow sports
This technology is a standardized testing method for snow sport helmets that simulates real-world impact conditions more realistically than existing standards. The system applies multiple impacts to a helmet at different angles using a metal plate, mimicking the oblique collisions common in skiing and snowboarding falls. It measures both linear acceleration and rotational velocity to capture the full range of forces that cause brain injury. By combining those measurements with how frequently each type of impact occurs in real falls, it produces a single overall injury risk score that allows meaningful comparison between helmets.
What you could build
A certified testing protocol and scoring service offered to helmet manufacturers and consumer safety rating bodies — such as a Virginia Tech-style ratings program — that brands could use to validate products and that retailers or insurers could reference when recommending gear.
Who in Virginia should care
Virginia Tech's Helmet Lab is the most prominent university helmet rating program in the country and an obvious commercialization or licensing partner for this methodology.
Readiness: Lab validated
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Steve Rowson, Mark Begonia, Stefan Duma
- Filed
- Patent pending — filed February 21, 2023
- Status
- Application
- Publication number
- US20230263256A1
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.