Apparatus Utilizing Smart Fabrics for Providing Protection of the Head and Brain from Injury in Six Degrees of Freedom

Abstract

A compression garment, which may be hooded, that reduces the incidence of concussions and/or traumatic brain injuries for athletes, adventurists (i.e., competitive athletes and recreational athletes), military members, law enforcement officers, and professionals working in dangerous environments is disclosed. The garment mitigates concussions/traumatic brain injuries by reducing both the linear and rotational accelerations and velocities of the head with the rotational acceleration/velocity being most targeted. The garment uses a combination of compression fabric, smart fabrics and shear thickening fluid to achieve this goal. By reducing these accelerations and velocities, the garment is able to lessen the shear stress and pressure on the brain, thereby reducing brain injuries.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A garment that comprises a compression fabric, and a smart fabric that comprises a shear thickening fluid. 
     
     
         2 . The garment of  claim 1 , wherein the smart fabric comprises nylon, spandex, cotton, wool, hemp, bamboo, silk, Kevlar, polyester, polyester blends, high-performance polymer fabrics, other natural or synthetic fabrics, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         3 . The garment of  claim 1 , wherein the shear thickening fluid comprises a colloidal silica mixture. 
     
     
         4 . The garment of  claim 3 , wherein the colloidal silica mixture comprises silica nanoparticles suspended in a polyethylene glycol fluid. 
     
     
         5 . The garment of  claim 2 , wherein the smart fabric comprises nylon, Kevlar, spandex, polyester blends, or high-performance polymer fabrics. 
     
     
         6 . The garment of  claim 2 , wherein the smart fabric further comprises one or more electrical components selected from the group consisting of a battery, a led, an electronic chip, and a sensor. 
     
     
         7 . The garment of  claim 1 , wherein the garment is a hooded garment, and the hooded garment comprises the shear thickening fluid in only a part of the garment. 
     
     
         8 . The hooded garment of  claim 7 , wherein the part of the garment comprises one or more of a hood, a shoulder, an inner arm or a neck. 
     
     
         9 . The garment of  claim 1 , wherein the shear thickening fluid comprises one or more of starch dispersions, silica slurries, silica-ethylene glycol mixes, CeO 2 -silica suspensions, silica microsphere and ionic liquids, multi-walled carbon nanotubes-polypropylene glycol mixes, silica-carbon nanotube, silica-polypropylene glycol, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         10 . The garment of  claim 1 , wherein the shear thickening fluid is not in padding. 
     
     
         11 . The garment of  claim 7 , wherein the shear thickening fluid is a silica nanoparticles suspended in a polyethylene glycol fluid and the smart fabric comprises nylon, Kevlar, spandex, polyester blends, or high-performance polymer fabrics. 
     
     
         12 . The hooded garment of  claim 11 , wherein the hooded garment comprises the shear thickening fluid present only in one or more of the hood, the neck, and the shoulder. 
     
     
         13 . The hooded garment of  claim 11 , wherein the shear thickening fluid is not present in the torso of the hooded garment. 
     
     
         14 . A method of reducing mechanical shear stress in a person that undergoes an impact event, the method comprising the person wearing a hooded garment, the hooded garment comprising a smart fabric and a shear thickening fluid. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the mechanical shear stress is a shear stress on the head. 
     
     
         16 . A method of reducing or mitigating the severity of a concussion or traumatic brain injury in a human, the method comprising the human wearing a hooded garment, the hooded garment comprising a smart fabric and a shear thickening fluid. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the reducing or mitigating the severity of the concussion or traumatic brain injury is a result of reducing one or more of sagittal movement, frontal (coronal) movement, or transverse (axial) movement. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the shear thickening fluid comprise silica nanoparticles suspended in a polyethylene glycol fluid. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the smart fabric comprises nylon, Kevlar, spandex, or polyester blends. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the hooded garment comprises the shear thickening fluid in only a part of the garment.