# A youth-specific helmet for preventing traumatic brain injury

> **NIH NIH R43** · SAVIOR BRAIN INC. · 2020 · $587,742

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Head injuries, including nearly 4 million concussions per year, are common among the nearly 40 million
participants in organized youth sports in the United States. Despite recent technologies marketed to reduce
concussion risk, head injuries continue to rise among youth athletes. Furthermore, studies to improve
protective equipment have largely focused on adult populations, leading to athletic equipment optimized for
protection against the risk of catastrophic injuries from severe high-energy collisions. Protective equipment is
needed that provides maximal protection across a wider range of impact energies including the lower, yet still
dangerous, impact energies experienced at the youth level. Creating youth-specific helmets is essential for
tackling the concussion epidemic among this vulnerable population of athletes.
SoftShock is a novel shock absorber which manages impact energy to result in generally lower force levels
than traditional foams used in helmets, giving it the potential to drastically reduce the risk of brain injury. We
propose to integrate SoftShock technology into a youth football helmet to show the feasibility of the technology,
afterwards expanding into broader markets such as bicycling, equestrian, child car seats, playground fall
surfacing, and more.
In this Phase I proposal, we are requesting funding to target the principal requirements for successful
implementation of SoftShock technology in a youth helmet: 1) helmet comfort and fit 2) shock absorber unit
weight and robustness, and 3) helmet performance. The completed helmet prototype from Phase 1 proposal
will lead to a Phase II submission on the first ever prospective clinical study of a football helmet with the goal of
having the first helmet validated to reduce the risk of concussion among youth.
Specific Aim 1: Develop comfortable and well-fitting helmet interiors
A detailed finite element model of our helmet will be used to determine the necessary size, placement, and
distribution of SoftShocks in order to maximize head comfort and helmet fit across a range of youth head sizes.
Specific Aim 2: Manufacture lightweight, durable, and recoverable shock absorbing units
Softshock will be manufactured and unit tested to ensure that its weight, multi-impact durability, and recovery
time meets or exceeds that of standard foams and air shocks.
Specific Aim 3: Test helmet prototypes for performance
SoftShocks will be integrated into a lightweight helmet shell, creating prototypes to be tested in standard
certification protocols to demonstrate superior performance across a wide range of impact energies as
compared to existing youth football helmets.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10082152
- **Project number:** 1R43NS119134-01
- **Recipient organization:** SAVIOR BRAIN INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** David Camarillo
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $587,742
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-30 → 2022-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10082152

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10082152, A youth-specific helmet for preventing traumatic brain injury (1R43NS119134-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10082152. Licensed CC0.

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