Local surgeon’s involvement in ground-breaking NIA helmet invented and designed by Graeme Attey heads to the AFL and NRL

16 Sep 2024

The general surgeon, who has a history with rugby league, has been assisting in the development of a cutting-edge helmet designed to significantly reduce the impact of concussions.

The Nodal Impact Attenuation (NIA) helmet utilises a patented unique interconnected ball shaped structure and a special injectable foam to absorb and disperse the energy of impacts in sports.

Inspired by his experience with concussions – both as a medical professional and as a parent – Mr Thomas joined forces with helmet inventor and designer Graeme Attey to refine a revolutionary design.

“I first heard about an earlier version of the helmet, also designed by Graeme pre-COVID, in the local Fremantle Rooster paper. My eldest son just had a concussion whilst playing rugby league, and I thought the current headgear he was wearing was not fit for purpose,” Mr Thomas said.

“The basic story in the paper showed an earlier version of this helmet had been tested in an independent crash lab and was shown to have significant effect on impact reduction, yet I had not heard about nor seen it in any shop previously.

“I contacted the editor of the paper and she forwarded my details to Graeme.

“We had an initial communication, then COVID intervened. As it was coming to an end, we liaised again to work on refining Graeme's new design.

“Graeme was already fairly advanced in the design of this newer ball shaped interconnected node helmet, but I gave some anatomical input and suggested some tweaking of the design as we bounced ideas back and forth.

“The helmet also needed investment to bring it from concept into production and I was able to provide some as we went along.”

How it works

The helmet’s innovative design features a series of interconnected “nodes” made of a special impact-absorbing injectable EVA foam (like the foam used in the soles of athletic training shoes). When the helmet is impacted, these nodes progressively and exponentially resist compression and distribute the force of the impact across a wider area via the interconnections. This reduces the impact force on the skull which in turn reduces the acceleration and deformation of the brain within the skull. It is the rapid acceleration and deformity of the brain which causes sport-based concussions.

Laboratory testing has shown the helmet to be superior to existing options, reducing impact force by over 12 times compared to the current best standard sports soft shelled headgear. Applying best available real-world data on sport impact forces, Mr Thomas and the NIA team are confident that this technology should reduce direct head impact concussions by up to 90 percent.

After years of development, the team has recently overcome significant manufacturing challenges and is now on the brink of mass production. The first commercial batches of the helmet have just arrived in Western Australia and have been delivered to the AFL and NRL, as well as supplied directly to the Fremantle Dockers.

With its potential to transform the world of sports, Mr Attey’s invention and design and Mr Thomas’ collaboration is a testament to the quality and power of local innovation and the dedication of a medical professional committed to improving health care in our community and beyond.