title: The Helmet Fit Index--An intelligent tool for fit assessment and design customisation.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: RMIT University, School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Building 251, Level 3 Bundoora Campus East, Plenty Road Bundoora VIC 3083 Australia. Electronic address: thierry.perret-ellena@rmit.edu.au.
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ellena
authors.affiliation: Swinburne Research & Development, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Aleksandar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Subic
authors.affiliation: RMIT University, School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Building 251, Level 3 Bundoora Campus East, Plenty Road Bundoora VIC 3083 Australia.
authors.forename: Helmy
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mustafa
authors.affiliation: RMIT University, School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Building 251, Level 3 Bundoora Campus East, Plenty Road Bundoora VIC 3083 Australia.
authors.forename: Toh Yen
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Pang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry; D001642:Bicycling; D004867:Equipment Design; D004869:Equipment Safety / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006257:Head / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006260:Head Protective Devices / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: 3D anthropometry; Fit assessment; Helmet