Development of a smart helmet with piezoelectric sensors

Abstract

Consulta en la Biblioteca ETSI Industriales (Riunet)

[EN] This document is the report of a research project about a smart helmet that uses piezoelectric sensors. The project has been developed in the department ‘Genie Electrique’ at INSA Lyon between February 2015 and June 2015. Most of the research projects born with a problem, it doesn’t matter what kind of problem, and during his development try to get an answer or solution or at least improve the actual solutions or give alternatives. This is the main topic of this first chapter. Here we will analyze the increasing worry in the USA for several last years with the health of his American football players. The concussions in the head, this is the problem, but in this sport it’s inevitable that it happen. So we will see what kind of healthy problems can suffer the players, how it’s the traditional plan of action when there are a concussions and how it could be changed in the future. We will talk about the numbers and the concussion statistics, and we will understand why there is this general worry. Also, we will explain how this technology of the smart helmets can help the doctors, the trainers, the players and, even the manufacturers of the helmets, during the match and after the match. And we will read his statements and opinions about the topic. Like always happen when there are a new technology a lot of new researchers, brands and manufacturers fight for be the first who introduce the product in the market, or to improve the technology. This is the way to operate the economical global system. This technology is not an exception and there are a lot of people (most in the USA) who already puts his eyes and his brains working for the cause. So, for finish the first chapter we will do a little benchmarking for analyze the projects of smart helmets who were born in the last years in the USA and also for tell how our technology can improve some characteristics of the actual smart helmets or give an alternative way to build a new generation of helmets. Once we have seen the general perspective of the research, the other chapters focus on our experience in Lyon. We will explain our work during five months in the laboratory in the chronology order and we organize the way that we have built our first prototype in three chapters. We will talk about the materials, the physics of the process, the methods, the software, the electronics used, etc. So, basically we deal with the tools that we have used, why we have used it and how, each one of this, functions for the cause.