Revolution helmets
Encyclopedia
Riddell
Revolution helmets are a line of football helmets designed to provide optimal protection for their users. The Revolution’s design has been proven to reduce the risk of sustaining head injuries during football games. These helmets are currently used by 83% of the players in the National Football League
. The most recent model is the Revolution Speed helmet. This model can come equipped with Riddell's HITS Technology. This technology consists of a sensor in the helmet that relays data regarding the severity of each hit to a computer system.
. One major study on the helmet’s effectiveness was conducted by a team from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
. The research compared the Revolution helmet with other models. 2,000 high school players participated in the study which took place over the course of three years. Research showed that 5.4% of the athletes wearing the Revolution helmet suffered a concussion during a game as opposed to 7.6% of the players wearing the older model helmets. High school players wearing the Revolution helmet were 31% less likely to experience a concussion.
and synthetic rubber
foam are also used inside the helmet. The shell of the helmet is made up of a polycarbonate
alloy
. For the lightest weight, a titanium
face guard is attached to the helmet.
during the 2011 BCS National Championship Game
, before the helmet was available to the public. At halftime, James switched back to his Revolution Speed.
Systems or HITS technology. Six accelerometers are placed inside the helmet. The accelerometers measure the force, location and direction of an impact on the helmet. Along with the accelerometers in the helmet are a microprocessor
and a radio transmitter. When a player’s head accelerates due to a collision, the acceleration
is registered and brought up on a computer. A three-dimensional image of the head will show the location of contact using an arrow. A bar graph is used to indicate the force of the blow. Players and staff can evaluate the collisions using the graph. The analysis may suggest that a player seek medical attention; however, researchers have found that there is no way of being sure which impact might lead to a concussion.
. As a response to the growing concern over head injuries, equipment maker Riddell spent four years developing the original Revolution helmet. The Revolution was a fitting name considering the helmet marked the first significant remodel in 25 years. This helmet was first distributed in 2002. Since its release, the helmet has grown in popularity and use among consumers. As of 2007, Riddell has sold 750,000 Revolution helmets.
Riddell
Riddell is an American company specializing in sports equipment for American football, baseball, basketball, lacrosse, soccer, softball, track and field, tennis, volleyball, National Football League, NCAA Football and wrestling. It is headquartered in Des Plaines, Illinois.The company was started...
Revolution helmets are a line of football helmets designed to provide optimal protection for their users. The Revolution’s design has been proven to reduce the risk of sustaining head injuries during football games. These helmets are currently used by 83% of the players in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. The most recent model is the Revolution Speed helmet. This model can come equipped with Riddell's HITS Technology. This technology consists of a sensor in the helmet that relays data regarding the severity of each hit to a computer system.
Injury prevention
Revolution helmets have been proven through studies to reduce the risk of head injuryHead injury
Head injury refers to trauma of the head. This may or may not include injury to the brain. However, the terms traumatic brain injury and head injury are often used interchangeably in medical literature....
. One major study on the helmet’s effectiveness was conducted by a team from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is an $9 billion integrated global nonprofit health enterprise that has 54,000 employees, 20 hospitals, 4,200 licensed beds, 400 outpatient sites and doctors’ offices, a 1.5 million-member health insurance division, as well as commercial and...
. The research compared the Revolution helmet with other models. 2,000 high school players participated in the study which took place over the course of three years. Research showed that 5.4% of the athletes wearing the Revolution helmet suffered a concussion during a game as opposed to 7.6% of the players wearing the older model helmets. High school players wearing the Revolution helmet were 31% less likely to experience a concussion.
Revolution Speed Helmet
The most recent addition to the Revolution series of helmets is the Revolution Speed helmet. This helmet improves upon older Revolution models to create a better defense against concussion.Design
The helmet is designed around the head’s center of gravity. Since most concussion-causing impacts occur on the side of the head and face, the helmet features mandible extensions. This feature extends the cover of the jaw line. The helmet is lined with a custom fit cellular air pad system. PolyurethanePolyurethane
A polyurethane is any polymer composed of a chain of organic units joined by carbamate links. Polyurethane polymers are formed through step-growth polymerization, by reacting a monomer with another monomer in the presence of a catalyst.Polyurethanes are...
and synthetic rubber
Synthetic rubber
Synthetic rubber is is any type of artificial elastomer, invariably a polymer. An elastomer is a material with the mechanical property that it can undergo much more elastic deformation under stress than most materials and still return to its previous size without permanent deformation...
foam are also used inside the helmet. The shell of the helmet is made up of a polycarbonate
Polycarbonate
PolycarbonatePhysical PropertiesDensity 1.20–1.22 g/cm3Abbe number 34.0Refractive index 1.584–1.586FlammabilityV0-V2Limiting oxygen index25–27%Water absorption – Equilibrium0.16–0.35%Water absorption – over 24 hours0.1%...
alloy
Alloy
An alloy is a mixture or metallic solid solution composed of two or more elements. Complete solid solution alloys give single solid phase microstructure, while partial solutions give two or more phases that may or may not be homogeneous in distribution, depending on thermal history...
. For the lightest weight, a titanium
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
face guard is attached to the helmet.
Revolution 360 Helmet
Riddell announced that a new model will be available in limited colors and sizes starting in Spring 2011. As of March 23, 2011, a firm date and price have not been announced. The Revolution 360 was first worn in a game by LaMichael JamesLaMichael James
LaMichael Keondrae James is a college football running back for the Oregon Ducks football team. The 2010 season was a breakout one for James, as he rushed for 1,682 yards during the regular season, the highest in the nation. He finished third in balloting for the Heisman Trophy and received the...
during the 2011 BCS National Championship Game
2011 BCS National Championship Game
The 2011 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game was the final college football game to determine the national champion of the 2010 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision season. The finale of the 2010-2011 Bowl Championship Series was played at the University of Phoenix Stadium, the host...
, before the helmet was available to the public. At halftime, James switched back to his Revolution Speed.
HITS technology
Revolution helmets can now come equipped with Head Impact TelemetryTelemetry
Telemetry is a technology that allows measurements to be made at a distance, usually via radio wave transmission and reception of the information. The word is derived from Greek roots: tele = remote, and metron = measure...
Systems or HITS technology. Six accelerometers are placed inside the helmet. The accelerometers measure the force, location and direction of an impact on the helmet. Along with the accelerometers in the helmet are a microprocessor
Microprocessor
A microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit on a single integrated circuit, or at most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and...
and a radio transmitter. When a player’s head accelerates due to a collision, the acceleration
Acceleration
In physics, acceleration is the rate of change of velocity with time. In one dimension, acceleration is the rate at which something speeds up or slows down. However, since velocity is a vector, acceleration describes the rate of change of both the magnitude and the direction of velocity. ...
is registered and brought up on a computer. A three-dimensional image of the head will show the location of contact using an arrow. A bar graph is used to indicate the force of the blow. Players and staff can evaluate the collisions using the graph. The analysis may suggest that a player seek medical attention; however, researchers have found that there is no way of being sure which impact might lead to a concussion.
History
Head injury has always been a serious issue in the game of football. An estimated 5 percent of high school players suffer concussions each year. There is also evidence to suggest that football players are exposed to the kind of brain damage called Chronic traumatic encephalopathyChronic traumatic encephalopathy
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a progressive degenerative disease found in individuals who have been subjected to multiple concussions and other forms of head injury. A variant of the condition, dementia pugilistica, is primarily associated with boxing...
. As a response to the growing concern over head injuries, equipment maker Riddell spent four years developing the original Revolution helmet. The Revolution was a fitting name considering the helmet marked the first significant remodel in 25 years. This helmet was first distributed in 2002. Since its release, the helmet has grown in popularity and use among consumers. As of 2007, Riddell has sold 750,000 Revolution helmets.