https://padlet.com/jodi_hagan364/oe33pwetsyo1 By: Jodi Hagan en-us 2017-10-01 19:11:09 UTC 2025-10-02 09:05:57 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Rugbyball.png jodi_hagan364 https://padlet.com/jodi_hagan364/oe33pwetsyo1/wish/192799016 The Woodpecker is a scientific marvel. Known for drilling holes into wood, the Woodpecker sustains hits up to 1,000 times gravity (1,000g's). To put that into perspective, an Air Force test in the 1950s stated that the highest survivable g-force for a human without protection was around 46 times that of gravity.]]> 2017-10-01 19:17:50 UTC https://padlet.com/jodi_hagan364/oe33pwetsyo1/wish/192799016 jodi_hagan364 https://padlet.com/jodi_hagan364/oe33pwetsyo1/wish/192799169 The Woodpecker's beak is also designed to help absorb the impact of each blow, instead of sending all of the shock directly to the brain. The beak helps to absorb and slow down the motion to protect the brain from injury.]]> 2017-10-01 19:19:09 UTC https://padlet.com/jodi_hagan364/oe33pwetsyo1/wish/192799169 jodi_hagan364 https://padlet.com/jodi_hagan364/oe33pwetsyo1/wish/192799172 The Woodpecker is able to sustain such incredibly hard blows due to the structure of its bones and muscles. Woodpecker's have thick neck muscles which help to diffuse the blows along with a thick, spongy bone which surrounds the brain.
This spongy bone is created by trabeculae, tiny, beamlike projections of bone. These trabeculae form a "mesh" (the spongy bone) which acts as an armor to protect the brain during drilling. ]]> 2017-10-01 19:19:10 UTC https://padlet.com/jodi_hagan364/oe33pwetsyo1/wish/192799172 jodi_hagan364 https://padlet.com/jodi_hagan364/oe33pwetsyo1/wish/192800850 The Great Spotted Woodpecker]]> 2017-10-01 19:32:46 UTC https://padlet.com/jodi_hagan364/oe33pwetsyo1/wish/192800850 jodi_hagan364 https://padlet.com/jodi_hagan364/oe33pwetsyo1/wish/192802303 Image of the spongy bone structure.]]> 2017-10-01 19:45:07 UTC https://padlet.com/jodi_hagan364/oe33pwetsyo1/wish/192802303 jodi_hagan364 https://padlet.com/jodi_hagan364/oe33pwetsyo1/wish/192802675 Through these adaptations, woodpeckers are able to sustain major blows to their heads without injury. Observing and researching these adaptations caused me to think about the number of concussions football players sustain each year (317 concussions reported in 2015). I began to wonder if there wasn't a way to create the same spongy, bone-like structure and something to absorb the shock and slow down the head upon impact during a tackle like the bird's beak does.]]> 2017-10-01 19:48:43 UTC https://padlet.com/jodi_hagan364/oe33pwetsyo1/wish/192802675 jodi_hagan364 https://padlet.com/jodi_hagan364/oe33pwetsyo1/wish/192804373 It's inevitable. Football players will be tackled. These tackles can result in anywhere between 100-150g's. However, throughout the tackle, the head inside the helmet accelerates-- usually around 30 to 60g's. This is why we see so many concussions in the sport: the human body was not designed to account for such force, like the woodpecker's was. ]]> 2017-10-01 20:02:42 UTC https://padlet.com/jodi_hagan364/oe33pwetsyo1/wish/192804373 jodi_hagan364 https://padlet.com/jodi_hagan364/oe33pwetsyo1/wish/192804923 So, the question becomes: how can we protect our boys on the field? 
To answer this question, I looked to the woodpecker's bone and muscle make-up along with the idea of the beak absorbing and slowing down the shock's impact on the brain.]]> 2017-10-01 20:08:11 UTC https://padlet.com/jodi_hagan364/oe33pwetsyo1/wish/192804923 jodi_hagan364 https://padlet.com/jodi_hagan364/oe33pwetsyo1/wish/192805139 Like the beak does for the woodpecker, we have to absorb the shock of a tackle for our football players. To accomplished this, I designed a layer of padding for the inside of the helmet that is designed to slow down the head during a tackle, which in turn slows down the brain before it can collide into the back of the inner-forehead causing injury. ]]> 2017-10-01 20:10:02 UTC https://padlet.com/jodi_hagan364/oe33pwetsyo1/wish/192805139 jodi_hagan364 https://padlet.com/jodi_hagan364/oe33pwetsyo1/wish/192805368 This padding would be made with a sturdy, yet flexible, sponge like structure infused with gel. While the helmet is hit from the outside at full speed, the gel and sponge structure would compress to slow the motion of the head and the brain during collision. 
This sponge/gel layer would be the first layer of padding for the inside of the helmet. It would have a stronger plastic coating to keep the gel from leaking out. The second layer is a thinner, softer layer of the same gel-infused spongy padding. This layer would act as additional protection and comfort for the head.]]> 2017-10-01 20:12:19 UTC https://padlet.com/jodi_hagan364/oe33pwetsyo1/wish/192805368 jodi_hagan364 https://padlet.com/jodi_hagan364/oe33pwetsyo1/wish/192806258 In the first prototype, I created one layer of helmet padding that is designed like a thicker sponge.]]> 2017-10-01 20:19:37 UTC https://padlet.com/jodi_hagan364/oe33pwetsyo1/wish/192806258 jodi_hagan364 https://padlet.com/jodi_hagan364/oe33pwetsyo1/wish/192806279 In the second prototype, I determined that two layers of the spongy padding would be more beneficial that just one. I also decided to infuse the first thick layer with the gel substance to increase the deceleration of the head inside of the helmet. The second layer is a less thick sponge padding.]]> 2017-10-01 20:19:49 UTC https://padlet.com/jodi_hagan364/oe33pwetsyo1/wish/192806279 jodi_hagan364 https://padlet.com/jodi_hagan364/oe33pwetsyo1/wish/192806307 The third prototype is the model I decided to use. I have two layers of padding. The first is a thick, gel-infused sponge like padding with a semi-hard plastic encasing. The second layer is the same gel-infused spongy padding; however, it is thinner and has a softer casing for comfort of the head.]]> 2017-10-01 20:20:04 UTC https://padlet.com/jodi_hagan364/oe33pwetsyo1/wish/192806307 jodi_hagan364 https://padlet.com/jodi_hagan364/oe33pwetsyo1/wish/192808651 While the gel substance needs more research, I tested out a couple different substances and used the best version. However, further scientific research and testing will have to be implemented to determine the most appropriate thickness and compression ability of the gel substance.
For the prototype, we used a gel substance pre-made and used a medium thick sponge as the padding.
An expandable thicker plastic coating will need to be developed for the final product as well.
Sustainability: The padding and the thick, expandable coating will be made of recyclable materials and will be tested to design long-lasting materials.]]> 2017-10-01 20:42:30 UTC https://padlet.com/jodi_hagan364/oe33pwetsyo1/wish/192808651 jodi_hagan364 https://padlet.com/jodi_hagan364/oe33pwetsyo1/wish/192815397 The woodpecker's beak's ability to absorb the shock upon impact can be studied and used for human vehicles. An adaptation of this bone structure can be implemented in the design and structure of vehicles to provide protection during collisions.
We have already discussed how this organism can help humans develop better brain protection for football, this same idea can be carried over to other sports: race car driving, hockey, etc.
The woodpecker's body as a whole has an incredible design for aerodynamics. If studied, this could lead to breakthroughs in the design of all modes of transportation: vehicles, trains, planes, boats, spaceships, etc.

The woodpecker's biological make-up is completely astounding and if studied, humans stand to learn an incredible amount from the organism.]]> 2017-10-01 22:01:39 UTC https://padlet.com/jodi_hagan364/oe33pwetsyo1/wish/192815397 jodi_hagan364 https://padlet.com/jodi_hagan364/oe33pwetsyo1/wish/193073400 Higgins, M. (2015, January 28). Football Physics: The Anatomy of a Hit. Retrieved October 02, 2017, from http://www.popularmechanics.com/adventure/sports/a2954/4212171/

Pappas, S. (2012, April 10). Why Woodpeckers Don't Get Concussions. Retrieved October 02, 2017, from https://www.livescience.com/19586-woodpecker-skull-concussions.html]]> 2017-10-02 16:00:50 UTC https://padlet.com/jodi_hagan364/oe33pwetsyo1/wish/193073400