Shield-X Technology Records 31% Reduction In Concussions In Eight Schools

Canadian research and technology company  Shield-X Technology Inc. continues to make progress in the prevention of concussions in football. As reported last year, in 2015 Shield-X Technology helped one Canadian high school reduce the incidence of concussions to zero in a single season.

Now the company has tested its Shield-X decal on eight high school and youth football teams in  Canada and the United States. The results are impressive for such a seemingly simple technology.

The company tested 333 players on eight teams and achieved a 31% reduction in concussions.

Explaining the technology

Helmets are designed, tested and certified for compressive forces only, yet nearly all impacts contain both compressive force and sharp twisting of the brain. This means, while they can reduce direct impacts to the head, helmets do not effectively eliminate the twisting force to the brain. Many research studies have found that sharp twisting is one of the key factors behind head injuries and concussions.

History

In 2010, a group of researchers at the Head Injury Prevention Lab, School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering, at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, began studying methods of reducing sharp twisting of the brain during impact. The result was a micro-engineered membrane called Shield-X.

In 2014, Shield-X Technology Inc. was founded to take the idea to the next level, covering the blind spot in modern helmet design with a micro-engineered membrane which works to alleviate the effects of friction upon impact. The Shield-X membrane can be implemented in different ways to enhance the protection of any headgear or wearable. The membrane comes in the modular form of a lightweight decal, which can replace conventional decals, such as those used for football helmets. This high-tech decal, codenamed BX-E, is applied just like sticker and enhances protection of the covered area.

The technology can also be seamlessly integrated into the helmet from the inside. This model, codenamed BX-I, renders the membrane completely invisible.

Over the past three years, the technology has been rigorously tested, both in their proprietary testing facility and by independent laboratories in the United States. Two previous pilot studies in 2014 and 2015 yielded excellent results, with each trial studying one local football team.

In 2016, they expanded their testing to eight football teams across Canada and the United States. 333 players were equipped with Shield-X decals (BX-E) for one full season. With BX-E, the number of concussions reported by teams reduced by 31% compared to the average of the previous two years.

 

To Shield-X, these results indicate a substantial improvement in helmet performance. The company is engineering new Shield-X models and working to get the technology into the hands of more athletes.