My name is Eric Green and I am building a helmet company to improve the brain safety of athletes. After experiencing an injury leaving me a quadriplegic I was exposed to individuals with brain injuries. The physical, mental and emotional ramifications of a brain injury is devastating. I have made it my top priority to improve the lives of athletes who rely on helmets for safety.

The goal of the Athena Headgear is to provide an efficiently designed helmet solution to benefit brain health. Improving technology to benefit humanity is and will be the ultimate goal for the company. The significance of brain health in sports and safety is a substantial matter desiring an advanced, unique approach.

The motto of the company is based around three words.

Observe. Adapt. Evolve.

Be observant. Adapt to opportunities. Continually evolve.

Chief Medical Officer - Dr. Tim Pohlman: Retired IU Trauma Surgeon/ Former IMS Track Surgeon

“I joined Athena Headgear when I realized the company is proposing a substantial step forward in design and manufacturing of novel equipment to protect the central nervous systems of individuals participating in contact supports, and those at risk from head injury of those at risk from falls while biking riding and pursuing other outdoor activities. Many of us in the medical profession believe that participation in contact sports (for example, football), results in a season-long accumulation of numerous brain sub-concussive injuries.

Recent research has identified the type of brain injury that appears to develop after sub-concussive impacts to the head. For example, male soccer players demonstrated chemical, microstructural and functional brain alterations in response to accumulated impacts to the head during one soccer match”

(see: Nathan Delang, N., Robertson, R.V., Mendoza, F.A., et. al. The Acute Effects of Non‑concussive Head Impacts on Brain Microstructure, Chemistry and Function in Male Soccer Players: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. Sports Med. Open. 2025:11;77.)

“Helmet design we propose can minimize these measurable changes in brain biochemistry and function can be expected to slow the development of degenerative processes long term.”

Athena Headgear

Helmets are designed for protecting the skull not the brain. Athena Headgear has a patented design capable of reducing the coup-contrecoup motion, the detrimental brain movement after a head collision. The design restructures the helmet to allow the padding and outer shell to contort more freely for maximum flexibility. Every component is 3D printed to provide optimal build quality and customization.

First Layer - Inner Shell

The restructuring is based on three factors of layers. The first layer is the inner shell, a custom fitted, hard skull cap covering the entire head where a typical helmet sits. The component is the most valuable aspect of the helmet.

Inner Shell Examples:

These are basic examples and are not the look of the final product. They are meant to explain the concept and how the component works.

After a 3D head scan the individual’s specific head is uploaded and the inner shell is fitted with a specific software algorithm. All aspects of the design can be altered for each athlete’s individual comfort, sport and aesthetics. Breathability is a key factor that allows an athlete’s body heat to escape through custom designed ventilation. Inner shell can be equipped with cooling mechanisms such as water or air to continually reduce athletes’ body temperature. If an athlete requires heat conservation the inner shell can be designed to retain heat by reducing ventilation and/or applying a heating mechanism. The design also allows the majority of the helmet’s weight to be closer to the athlete’s head for optimal center of mass performance. Center of mass improvement allows the athlete to maintain control of the helmet’s movement more efficiently. Another important feature is the patented ERS, emergency release system. After an injury occurs a very high risk factor is removing the helmet. The design allows emergency personnel to disassemble the fully assembled helmet by removing two screws on each side of the head. The mandible component can then be removed relieving the helmet’s tension on the athlete’s head. Reiterating on the previous point, the inner shell is the most important component.

Sensors/Accessories - App Platform

Due to the inner shell’s design application of sensors and accessories is incredibly easy. The ability to accumulate important biometrics, data and information is incredibly valuable to improve an athlete’s performance. The customization aspect allows the athletes to select their specific metrics and allow the helmet’s design to be built around those components for quality and accuracy. All the data is aggregated and displayed into an app for real-time analysis. During athletes’ training or performance many times they experience significant head trauma that is unnoticed because of their adrenaline. It’s incredibly important to be able to monitor their behavior in order to protect their safety. Interested parties; coaches, staff, medical personnel and parents can all follow the metrics in real-time to ensure safety is top priority. Alarms can be set if certain criteria has been exceeded and the appropriate response can be applied. If a serious trauma event occurs emergency personnel can receive the metrics and be prepared to apply the appropriate response even before reaching the athlete. Time, data and resources are critical for athletes’ safety.

Future goal of the app is provide information about an injury. The athlete will have access to expected symptoms based on injury location and severity. It’s important after an injury to understand the potential implications and health issues. The app will then provide recovery exercises and dietary guidelines to improve their overall health.

Biometrics

G-Force, Heart Rate, Temperature(Person and Environment), Blood Oxygen, Respiratory, Electrical Skin Activity, GPS, Accelerometer, Humidity, Vibration, Impact Location

Accessories

Microphone, Speakers, Ocular Camera(s), Attention lighting[R,G,B], Breathing Apparatus(Filter/Mask), Cooling Mechanism(Air/Water), Heating Mechanism

Second Layer - Segmented Lattice Padding

The second layer utilizes advanced additive manufacturing technology to produce highly efficient elastomeric lattice based structures for optimal impact reduction performance. Elastomeric lattice design is engineered to regulate and reduce peak tension during a crushing event, lattice materials are particularly appealing for energy-absorbing applications. The objective of these materials is to reduce the peak stress transmitted through the material and evenly distribute this stress over a broad range of strains until the material has densified during a high strain-rate event, such as an impact or crash. Hybrid lattice structures will combine different design types to achieve synergistic properties to optimize performance. The incorporation of light-weight lattice and specific structural designs will provide optimal force dispersion.

Every athlete and sport has vulnerabilities based on their performance and position. The Athena design has a unique approach to the problem. Each helmet has segmented, replaceable padding in all areas of the helmet. Each lattice segment is attached to the inner shell via inner shell through holes and small light weight screws. Each screw is placed inside the inner shell through the holes coupling the lattice segment to the inner shell. The inner shell is then lined with breathable lattice padding and snapped into place. A unique feature is the ability to select specific lattice colors based on team theme or personal preferences.

Based on already accrued data and future amalgamated data from applied sensors each section of the helmet can be optimized for performance. Each lattice structure performs distinctly providing athlete’s with vast ranges of safety. Segmentation allows for athletes’ to select their individual needs based on field position, sport or previous injury.

An example of this is football players. Linemen experience frequent frontal lobe contact during training and games. It makes sense to provide the athlete with optimized lattice padding for that specific region. A wide receiver is more vulnerable to side and back of head strikes most commonly associated with head strikes with the ground. It’s important to secure those regions with lattice structures capable of managing the applied loads.

On the subject of football helmets a common protection method is for the application of the “Guardian Helmet”. A heavy, soft-shell helmet cover that attaches directly to the helmet. The problem with this method is the added weight and reduced center of mass control. With custom lattice padding the athlete can extend the thickness of the padding providing improved safety with minimal loss of helmet stability.

A final point to be made is the ability to protect an athlete after an injury. If an athlete has a major trauma event such as a blow to the back of the head the design’s segmentation allows the vulnerable region to be replaced with improved padding features for the athlete’s health and safety.

Third Layer - Outer Shell Segments

The outer shell segments are placed on top of the lattice padding segments and screwed into place. The removability of the outer shell components allows for variability of design, just like lattice padding. Depending on segment location on the helmet the outer shell can incorporate different elements such as thickness, venting, perforations, aesthetic designs and colors. If an outer shell component has been compromised due to an accident the piece can be easily replaced without the need to replace the entire helmet.

The helmet’s structural design allows for the outer shell components to be much thinner than conventional helmets. The inner shell provides protection for the skull so the outer shell may be much more flexible. The ability of the components to distort in order to absorb energy is incredibly valuable for the dispersion of concussive forces.

Basic Example of Helmet Design:

This is basic examples and not the look of the final product. It is meant to explain the concept and how the helmet is designed. The look of each helmet will vary based on sport, position or preferences.

The helmet once assembled no longer needs to be disassembled unless an alteration is needed. Various accessories can be added to the helmet such as visors, lighting, universal rails, etc.

Software/Additive Manufacturing

Only in the past few years has technology advanced enough to make Athena Headgear ecosystem a reality. The software is capable of taking head scans and adapting the components to the specific athlete. The software can then quickly adapt design changes to all aspects of the helmet. The ability to alter structural design based on environment and/or personal preferences is the key factor for an athlete to make the helmet a top priority.

The software also provides highly accurate simulations for testing designs. The ability to test structural variations virtually ensures the accuracy of the design and performance saving time and capital.

Additive manufacturing allows for vast versatility with materials and printing optionality. Additive manufacturing is always advancing and the development of filaments is constantly evolving. Current print technology is more than capable of providing multiple pathways for production with dozens of filaments available.

An advantage of additive manufacturing is the ability to print at specific locations. For example a professional sports team may have the ability to scan the head of a new athlete, upload the information to the app, select the specific components and print a new helmet at the facility within a few hours. If an athlete experiences an injury and the medical staff is requiring an improvement to the helmet the equipment staff can quickly revise the athlete’s profile and print the components.

Path to Prototype and Beyond:

4-6 Months: Completion of multiple prototype versions

Includes simple prototype design of inner shell, segmented lattice padding, outer shell components, chin strap

Produce variable components to test weight, breathability, lattice padding and outer shell variations

Software simulations provide highly accurate data and measurements for performance

Additive manufacturing for initial prototype is understood

6-8 Months: Safety Testing Requirements

Will provide necessary safety measures to ensure the product is safe for consumers

Any needed alterations to comply with testing requirements after initial tests

With further influx of funding

8-10 Months: Sensor integration

Applying various sensors to inner shell for monitoring (Optional)

Applying accessories to inner shell for monitoring (Optional)

Adapt padding layer around sensors for custom, efficient fit

10-12 Months: Safety app platform

Basic app design build, basic mechanics and sensors/accessories monitoring

1-3 Years: Full Ecosystem

Fully operational ecosystem capable of delivering complete helmet build with fully functioning sensor/accessories monitoring, design options, design features and recovery recommendations

Initial Target Market

Customization and sensor application with monitoring is perfectly compatible with extreme sports

Focus on athletes with established extreme sports sponsors:

The goal of Athena Headgear is not only providing the most optimal helmet for brain health but equipping athletes with an ecosystem of safety features. If you have any interest or questions please contact me.

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, College of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 2025

Current status on advanced lattice structures