Developing a new headrest for child safety seats to protect against side impact crashes
Advanced Side Impact Head Protection Technology for Child Safety Seats
This study is working on a new kind of headrest for child car seats to help protect kids from head injuries during side crashes, making sure that children aged 0-11 are safer without changing how parents use the seats.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 1 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Minnesota Healthsolutions Corporation NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Saint Paul, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11065054 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This research focuses on creating an innovative dynamic headrest for child safety seats aimed at reducing head injuries during side impact automobile crashes. The project addresses the fact that traditional safety seats are primarily designed for head-on collisions, leaving children vulnerable in side impacts, which are known to cause more severe injuries. By assembling a team of experts, the research will involve designing, building, and testing a prototype that enhances head containment without requiring changes in how caregivers use the seats. The goal is to improve safety for children aged 0-11 years in the event of a car crash.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates for this research are children aged 0-11 years who use child safety seats during travel.
Not a fit: Patients who do not use child safety seats or are older than 11 years may not benefit from this research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could significantly lower the incidence of head injuries in children involved in side impact automobile collisions.
How similar studies have performed: While there have been efforts to improve child safety seats, this approach of a dynamic headrest specifically for side impacts is novel and has not been extensively tested.
Where this research is happening
Saint Paul, United States
- Minnesota Healthsolutions Corporation — Saint Paul, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Seifert, Sara — Minnesota Healthsolutions Corporation
- Study coordinator: Seifert, Sara
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.