Smart Helmet Monitors Head Movement for Workplace Safety

A novel prototype helmet has the potential to prevent construction vehicle drivers from sustaining severe injuries. The helmet gauges the level of vibration experienced by the wearer while operating the vehicle and issues an alert when it exceeds safe thresholds.

Tailored for operators maneuvering rugged machinery like excavators and bulldozers, this helmet emerged from the efforts of a team at the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability in Germany.

A Helmet That’s More Than Meets the Eye

While resembling a traditional helmet, this wearable integrates a flexible piezoelectret sensor within an internal strap securing it on the user’s head.

This sensor, made of aluminum-coated polypropylene foam film, operates through the piezoelectric effect, producing an electrical signal when deformed, with signal voltage proportional to the degree of deformation.

While operating their vehicle, the wearer experiences vertical shaking, causing the sensor to undergo repeated deformation and generate signals. These signals’ voltage and frequency are transmitted to a body-worn transmitter module, which forwards the data to a computer.

How Software Enhances Safety in Real Time

Software on the computer processes the data and notifies the user if the shaking exceeds a hazardous threshold. Subsequently, the user can take a break and potentially mitigate the situation by implementing measures such as incorporating damping elements into the seat.

It’s crucial for users to take action since prolonged or excessive bodily shaking can cause severe damage to the brain, spinal column, and eyes. Moreover, the sensing device could also be utilized during the construction vehicle design phase to identify and address shakiness before vehicles are manufactured.

According to electromechanics expert Björn Seipel from Fraunhofer, “Construction machine drivers are exposed to whole-body vibrations with average acceleration values ranging from 0.2 m/s² to 1.5 m/s²; peak values may be significantly higher. Our helmet sensor facilitates precise measurement of vibration loads during daily operations. Based on this data, health protection measures can be significantly enhanced.”

Read the original article on: New Atlas

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