TY - JOUR
T1 - The helmet fit index - an intelligent tool for fit assessment and design customisation
AU - Ellena, Thierry
AU - Subic, Aleksandar
AU - Mustafa, Helmy
AU - Pang, Toh Yen
PY - 2016/7
Y1 - 2016/7
N2 - Helmet safety benefits are reduced if the headgear is poorly fitted on the wearer's head. At present, there are no industry standards available to assess objectively how a specific protective helmet fits a particular person. A proper fit is typically defined as a small and uniform distance between the helmet liner and the wearer's head shape, with a broad coverage of the head area. This paper presents a novel method to investigate and compare fitting accuracy of helmets based on 3D anthropometry, reverse engineering techniques and computational analysis. The Helmet Fit Index (HFI) that provides a fit score on a scale from 0 (excessively poor fit) to 100 (perfect fit) was compared with subjective fit assessments of surveyed cyclists. Results in this study showed that quantitative (HFI) and qualitative (participants' feelings) data were related when comparing three commercially available bicycle helmets. Findings also demonstrated that females and Asian people have lower fit scores than males and Caucasians, respectively. The HFI could provide detailed understanding of helmet efficiency regarding fit and could be used during helmet design and development phases.
AB - Helmet safety benefits are reduced if the headgear is poorly fitted on the wearer's head. At present, there are no industry standards available to assess objectively how a specific protective helmet fits a particular person. A proper fit is typically defined as a small and uniform distance between the helmet liner and the wearer's head shape, with a broad coverage of the head area. This paper presents a novel method to investigate and compare fitting accuracy of helmets based on 3D anthropometry, reverse engineering techniques and computational analysis. The Helmet Fit Index (HFI) that provides a fit score on a scale from 0 (excessively poor fit) to 100 (perfect fit) was compared with subjective fit assessments of surveyed cyclists. Results in this study showed that quantitative (HFI) and qualitative (participants' feelings) data were related when comparing three commercially available bicycle helmets. Findings also demonstrated that females and Asian people have lower fit scores than males and Caucasians, respectively. The HFI could provide detailed understanding of helmet efficiency regarding fit and could be used during helmet design and development phases.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84960400976&origin=inward
UR - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003687016300266?via%3Dihub
U2 - 10.1016/j.apergo.2016.02.008
DO - 10.1016/j.apergo.2016.02.008
M3 - Article
SN - 0003-6870
VL - 55
SP - 194
EP - 207
JO - Applied Ergonomics
JF - Applied Ergonomics
ER -