Seattle company designs safest football helmet in the country

SEATTLE – One hundred and twenty professional and college teams, including the Seahawks, will wear what is considered the safest helmet in the country this football season.

Seattle startup Vicis beat out 34 helmet models made by six other companies as the best in reducing head-impact severity on the field for the second year in a row. It’s helmet ZERO1 consists of unique outer shell material and flexible interior columns for better protection, and was rated as Time Magazine’s 25 best inventions of 2017.

Watch: The story behind ZERO1 and how it will change the game of football. (Courtesy of Vicis)

This is a major development in sports technology, considering many helmets up until now resembled those worn in the 1970s. Now more than ever, sports-related head injuries have been under greater scrutiny, especially with the rise of concussions.

Just last year, the NFL reported 281 concussions – the highest in five years. There are also problems with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain condition believed to be the cause of repeated head trauma, with research showing more than 100 former NFL players diagnosed in recent years.

The graph below shows combined number of concussions from preseason practice games and regular season games.

To be clear, Vicis doesn’t claim its ZERO1 helmet can reduce or eliminate concussions, just that it’s the safest helmet around, according to the NFL Helmet Laboratory Testing Performance Results.

The game-changing helmet is not only making a huge impact in the NFL. Baylor University in Texas reported that 80 players will wear ZERO1, and Notre Dame will also offer the helmet to its entire roster. The Big 12 Conference also announced a partnership with Vicis. Not only that, more than 1,000 high schools will incorporate ZERO1 into their programs.

The helmet costs $950, down from its original $1,500 price tag. And while just 18 NFL teams wore the helmet last year, many more will join.

The Seattle startup raised an additional $15 million to reduce the risk of head injuries, boosting its total funding to $70 million. One of its investors includes Seahawks quarterback Russel Wilson, who’s also part of Vicis’ coalition, along with Doug Baldwin, aimed at promoting safety in football for young athletes.

Vicis began at the University of Washington in 2014, and is even helping the U.S. military in improving the safety of Army and Marine Corps combat helmets.

Watch: "You might just save the game of football with this helmet," Doug Baldwin said. (Courtesy of Vicis)