The influence of ski helmets on sound perception and sound localisation on the ski slope

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate whether a ski helmet interferes with the sound localization and the time of sound perception in the frontal plane. Material and Methods: Twenty-three participants (age 30.7±10.2) were tested on the slope in 2 conditions, with and without wearing the ski helmet, by 6 different spatially distributed sound stimuli per each condition. Each of the subjects had to react when hearing the sound as soon as possible and to signalize the correct side of the sound arrival. Results: The results showed a significant difference in the ability to localize the specific ski sounds; 72.5±15.6% of correct answers without a helmet vs. 61.3±16.2% with a helmet (p < 0.01). However, the performance on this test did not depend on whether they were used to wearing a helmet (p = 0.89). In identifying the timing, at which the sound was firstly perceived, the results were also in favor of the subjects not wearing a helmet. The subjects reported hearing the ski sound clues at 73.4±5.56 m without a helmet vs. 60.29±6.34 m with a helmet (p < 0.001). In that case the results did depend on previously used helmets (p < 0.05), meaning that that regular usage of helmets might help to diminish the attenuation of the sound identification that occurs because of the helmets. Conclusions: Ski helmets might limit the ability of a skier to localize the direction of the sounds of danger and might interfere with the moment, in which the sound is firstly heard.

Helmet Prototype Response Time Assessment using NCAA Division 1 Collegiate Football Athletes

“…The results from this current study expand upon previous results by demonstrating football helmets in general do significantly increase response time and that helmet shell and facemask configuration created a significant change in perceived peripheral view. This study also contradicts previous studies specific to other helmet types such as ski and motorcycle helmets (Bogerd et al, 2014;Ruedl et al, 2011;Ružić et al, 2015) where minimal to no effect change in stimulus response and response time was found.…”

“…The ANOVA results suggest that SpeedFlex football helmet causes a significant difference in response time when compared to the no helmet condition, but the modified helmet/ no helmet difference was proven to be insignificant. This alone differentiates football helmets from other types of helmets that have been studied previously (Bogerd et al, 2014;Ruedl et al, 2011;Ružić et al, 2015). Football helmets are not the same as motorcycle helmets or ski helmets, therefore the differences in function and environment need to be examined in order to understand why the ski helmets and motorcycle helmets appear to perform better than the SpeedFlex helmet did when compared to response performance while not wearing a helmet.…”

“…The previous studies searched for research detailing the impacts of peripheral view from inside of a football helmet versus the response time of the wearer when performing a reaction-based task such as the FITLIGHT Trainer (Bogerd et al, 2014;Ruedl et al, 2011;Ružić et al, 2015). Research was found that identified response training as a means to reduce concussions for football players (Clark et al, 2015).…”

“…The relationship between football equipment and performance has been studied before (Gdovin et al, 2018), but the author found nothing that studied football helmets influence on stimulus response. To the authors' knowledge, the only known investigations for helmet influence on stimulus response were studies for a ski helmet which did not affect stimulus response and a motor cycle helmet which had a minimal effect upon response time (Bogerd, Walker, Brühwiler, & Rossi, 2014;Ruedl et al, 2011;Ružić et al, 2015). The fact that both articles were addressing common reasons people often use for not wearing helmets during the respective activities should be noted, as well as the fact that ski helmets and motorcycle helmets are rather minimalistic in nature comparatively to the design of a football helmet.…”

The Influence of Protective Headgear on the Peripheral Vision Reaction Time of Recreational-Level Skiers

“…Similar findings regarding the influence of a habit of wearing a helmet on a sensory performance were determined in a study conducted by Ruzic et al [26]. In that study, localization of specific ski sounds was measured to determine differences between various tested conditions of wearing protective headgear but also to determine potential differences between helmet users and non-users.…”