Notre Dame Football: Irish First College Program To Embrace New Helmet Technology
By Andrew Hall
When the Notre Dame football team takes the field in the 2018 regular season, they will be wearing the safest and most advanced helmet on the planet, the VICIS Zero1. This new helmet features crumple zones similar to a car bumper. Notre Dame will become the first team to primarily outfit their team with the VICIS helmets.
Slap the Sign recently caught up with Dave Marver, CEO of VICIS, to talk about the partnership between Notre Dame and VICIS.
Q. To the average person, explain what the VICIS ZERO1 helmet does to protect player compared to other helmets on the market.
A. The ZERO1 has a flexible outer shell that yields during a collision like a car bumper, slowing impact forces before they reach the head. Beneath the outer shell, there are highly engineered columns that bend and move in response to impacts to further slow impact forces. The helmet can also be custom fitted to each player. This video demonstrates how the helmet works:
Q. How did VICIS get its start?
The spark to create a better football helmet arose from pediatric neurosurgeon and VICIS co-founder, Sam Browd, MD, PhD, who grew frustrated having to counsel teenagers to retire from sports after multiple head injuries. Browd enlisted the engineering expertise of VICIS co-founder and fellow University of Washington professor Per Reinhall, PhD, Chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department, who invented the underlying concepts for the ZERO1, and the company building expertise of medtech executive and VICIS co-founder Dave Marver, who has led the company from its inception.
After a 3 year, $20M R&D effort that included some of the biggest names in football, the ZERO1 was launched in 2017 and is currently being worn by some of the top NFL and NCAA players in the world. It will be made available for high school players in 2018.
Q. Are these helmets costly? What advancements in production will make this helmet available to all players of all ages?
A. The ZERO1 is currently priced at $1,500 – As with any new technological breakthrough, we expect the cost to come down over time as volumes increase, new manufacturing methods are developed, and new materials are introduced. We are very committed to making our technology available to players at all levels and socioeconomic strata. High schools are interested in the ZERO1 but concerned about its cost should contact VICIS. Our Representatives have tools and programs available to assist with affordability.
Q. How much does this reduce the risk of head injuries?
Sports-related head injury results from both linear and rotational impact forces. We had the opportunity to design the ZERO1 from scratch, unconstrained by existing designs, and created a structure that effectively reduces both types of impact forces. Our goals were to engineer a helmet that offered breakthroughs in both protection and performance. The helmet’s protective superiority is demonstrated by its #1 ranking in NFL/NFLPA annual performance testing.
Q. Who else has decided to primarily outfit their team with these helmets? Is Notre Dame unique in this fashion?
Notre Dame is the first team to be primarily outfitted with the ZERO1 for the 2018 season, but at the NCAA level the helmets are being worn by players at over 20 of the top schools, including Georgia, Clemson, Alabama, Michigan State, and Texas A&M. There will be players on all four of the CFB Playoff teams in the ZERO1 this bowl season.
In the NFL, the ZERO1 is currently being worn by players on 18 NFL teams, including top players such as Russell Wilson, Alex Smith, Doug Baldwin, Golden Tate, and Lamar Miller.
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Q. As the CEO, how does it feel to have your helmet don the gold paint and become one of the most iconic helmets in College Football?
Notre Dame is the gold standard to which all other programs are measured, and the school’s dedication to player safety further cements its influence and leadership across the sport. We’re gratified anytime our helmet can protect a young athlete, but it’s especially heartening to see the ZERO1 worn at such an esteemed program.