Pro-Neck-Tor

Pro-Neck-Tor main

Every year, hundreds of athletes suffer crippling spinal-cord injuries. The Pro-Neck-Tor, invented by medical engineer Peter Cripton of the University of British Columbia, is the first helmet designed to guard the spine. In a head-first impact, the top of the head tends to stop abruptly while the torso continues plowing forward, compacting the spinal cord. With the Pro-Neck-Tor, a traditional outer shell blunts direct force, while an inner shell slides forward along a track, guiding the head down to reduce force on the neck by up to 56 percent. Cripton’s team created a prototype this year and hopes to have a commercial version for football, cycling and other spine-snapping sports on store shelves soon. pronecktor.com