Artec horse riding helmet
Ross Head holding a commercially available helmet (left) and a Cerebra custom helmet (right).
Cerebra Innovation Centre (CIC) has harnessed 3D scanning and 3D printing to produce a customised helmet to allow a disabled child to safely enjoy horse riding.
Imogen was born 11 weeks early with hydrocephaly, an excessive swelling of the brain, and lives with a condition called spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy. It has meant finding riding helmets that fit correctly has been a problem for Imogen, often causing headaches. But since she has begun to excel in dressage riding and her passion for the sport remains, Imogen’s family turned to national charity Cerebra.
Cerebra and its innovation centre had previously produced several custom helmets for children with hydrocephaly, using an Artec Eva scanner to capture data, 3D printing to make the mould, fibre-glassing for the shell and CNC machining the polystyrene liner. CIC was encouraged to start using Artec technology through its engagements with Assistive Technologies Innovation Centre (ATiC), who worked with Central Scanning a service provider and Gold Certified Partner of Artec.
ATiC conducted the scan of Imogen’s head which took less than one minute to complete. The data was then exported from Artec’s Studio software into a CAD programme, where the exact dimensions were made create a precise 3D model. Once the mould was printed and finished, layers of fibreglass and Kevlar were laid up using epoxy resin to make a strong outer shell, while the inner polystyrene protective was exported for CNC machining. The resulting helmet has been fully approved and certified by the British Standards Institution, with three having so far been produced, two of which using the Artec Eva.
Due to increased interest, more helmets are in the works, as are more applications.
“We’re really just at the beginning with the Eva scanner, because we’re creating customised products for each individual child,” commented Dr Ross Head of University of Wales Trinity Saint David, where the CIC is located. “Eva lets us makes things using a child’s exact measurements, so when it’s time for the child to put it on, or sit down or in it, it fits like a glove. And for a child who’s used to going through life feeling like they’re not fitting in, this kind of perfect fit is simply a dream come true.
“This time it’s the helmets, but we’re already looking at so many applications for Eva, and because we know that it gives us the accuracy we need and then some, the sky is the limit as far as what we’re going to be dreaming up and bringing to life here for our children.”
Cerebra has previously produced rocking horses, swing harnesses and safety seats to allow disabled children to play safely, and last autumn built a custom four-wheeled mountain bike so Imogen could join the CIC team in reaching the top of Pen y Fan, South Wales’ highest peak.
“Imogen was so thrilled to have complete the climb,” her mother said. “It’s only thanks to the team at Cerebra that she’s been able to have this adventure – she’s never been able to do anything like this before because of her cerebral palsy. There have been so many times that she hasn’t been able to join in with physical activities, which leaves her feeling left out. Being able to do things like this is a real boost to her confidence and self-esteem.”
