Material for safer football helmets may reduce head injuries
(PHYSorg.com Chemistry)

Scientists at the University of California Santa Barbara, HRL Laboratories LLC, and the U.S. Army Research Laboratory have developed elastic microlattice pads that can withstand both single hits and a series of impacts better than existing state-of-the-art foams used in football helmets. Their research, publishing November 27 in the journal Matter, suggests that the material may pave the way for helmets that better protect football players and other athletes from brain injuries caused by repeated head hits.