Impact Pressure Distribution of Hip Protectors

Measure, view, and evaluate dynamic forces acting between a hip protector pad and the user's hip.

Hip Protectors And Impact Pressure Distribution

The I-Scan™ pressure mapping system is an exciting tool for studying impact force distribution and energy dissipation under hip protectors or other protective devices. The system measures the peak pressure, contact area, and pressure distribution under a hip protector during a "fall," or in a simulated environment.

A wide variety of hip protection devices are available to protect the elderly in the event of a fall. They come in many different shapes and are typically made of plastic and foam or some other shock absorbing materials. Until today, there was no easy way to compare their effectiveness.

A I-Scan system was used to measure the load distribution under a plastic hip protector. The test results are shown below.

Tekscan sensor model #5250 was placed between a prototype plastic hip protector and the hip of an artificial leg. The sensor output at peak load is shown in 2D and 3D.

Further study could help product designers evaluate and improve their designs. The I-Scan allows designers to set measurable goals that could combine both minimizing peak pressure with maximizing pressure distribution and product attractiveness in their design criteria.