Journal of Forensic Biomechanics

Biomechanics Laboratory, Legacy Research Institute, Portland, USA

Biography

Dr Emily Bliven is currently working at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Her research involves developing an orthopaedic implant to strengthen the femur and prevent hip fracture in a sideways fall. We will test the ability of various novel designs to protect the femur using a dual experimental-computational approach that was previously developed, consisting of an inertia-driven fall simulator and a corresponding finite element model.

Publications

• Research Article   
  A Novel Strategy for Mitigation of Oblique Impacts in Bicycle Helmets
  Author(s): Emily Bliven, Alexandra Rouhier, Stanley Tsai, Rémy Willinger, Nicolas Bourdet, Caroline Deck, Steven M Madey and Michael Bottlang*
  
  A principal cause of traumatic brain injury is rotational head acceleration, which can induce brain injury even in absence of a direct impact to the head. A bicycle fall typically leads to an oblique impact of the head that induces rotational head acceleration. To mitigate this rotational head acceleration, a novel bicycle helmet concept has been developed that employs a collapsible cellular structure. This study quantified the efficacy of this technology in comparison to traditional bicycle helmets made of rigid Expanded Polystyrene (EPS). Prototype helmets  with the Cellular structure (CELL) and standard EPS helmets (CONTROL) were subjected to oblique impacts in vertical drop tests onto angled anvils. Helmets were tested at impact speeds of 4.8 m/s and 6.2 m/s and at impact angles of 30°, 45°, and 60°. Linear and rotational headform acceleration and neck loads of an.. View more»
  

  Abstract PDF