Professor is out to build a better, safer football helmet

Friday, July 3, 2020

A researcher in MME at Waterloo Engineering is part of a team that has been awarded US $412,000 by the National Football League (NFL) to develop a better, safer helmet.

Duane Cronin, a professor of mechanical and mechatronics engineering, will contribute sophisticated impact testing and advanced computer modelling to optimize helmet performance and reduce the risk of head injuries.

Duane Cronin of Waterloo Engineering has been researching helmets and head protection for 15 years.

The goal is to develop a new helmet for evaluation using the latest test protocols by next July.

“We’ve got a short time to turn this around, so we can’t use a traditional build-and-break approach,” said Cronin, who has been researching helmets and head protection for 15 years. “It has to involve a virtual design that allows us to optimize, get it right the first time and produce a physical helmet.”

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