WCPO: UC engineer explains design of Joe Burrow's new helmet
UC biomedical engineering Professor Eric Nauman talks about concussion risks in NFL
WCPO turned to a University of Cincinnati biomedical engineer to explain why Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is trying out a new football helmet in training camp this week.
Burrow started training camp with the new Vicis Zero 2.
Professor Eric Nauman in UC's College of Engineering and Applied Science said football players are especially at risk of concussion when the back of their head hits the ground.
“Most locations on the helmet will absorb 80% to 90% of the impact, but the back of the helmet often only deflects 50% of the hit,” he told WCPO reporter Kristen Swilley.
“So when the player gets tackled and falls back on the turf, it’s an especially risky type of hit.”
UC student Christopher Boles uses a modal hammer to strike a helmet. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand
Several NFL players, including Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, sustained concussions last season when the back of their head hit the turf.
In a 2023 study published in the Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, Nauman and his co-authors put popular football helmets made by four leading brands through impact testing and found that no single design demonstrated superior reduction of potential concussion incidence or consistent energy absorption at every part of the helmet.
“None of the helmets was uniformly good or uniformly bad, except on the back of the helmet where they were all uniformly bad,” Nauman said.
Among the helmets tested was the Vicis Zero 1.
“This was definitely the best-performing helmet — except in the back,” Nauman told WCPO. “Our hope is the back of the helmet does a better job protecting the quarterback because that’s really where you worry about the quarterback hitting the turf.”
Nauman's lab this week got the new Vicis model Burrow will be wearing but has not had a chance to examine it.
“Our hope is by publicizing this kind of information, helmet companies will make them safer,” Nauman said.
Featured image at top: UC biomedical engineering Professor Eric Nauman talks to WCPO reporter Kristen Swilley. Photo/Michael Miller
UC College of Engineering and Applied Science Professor Eric Nauman studies ways to prevent concussion in his biomedical engineering lab. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand
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