(Previous Engineering Work as a Member of Tool., Inc.)
The EMLSH (Enhanced Mandible Load Sensing Headform) is used to evaluate the efficacy of mouthguards in reducing the brain’s exposure to impact energies caused by direct strikes to the mandible. The apparatus is mounted to a drop tower, which allows it to free fall until the mandible contacts an anvil. Sensors inside the headform collect force and acceleration data throughout the process.
Tool developed the EMLSH as an improvement to an existing apparatus (the MLSH). My major contributions to this project included: designing a biofidelic mandible; implementing a jaw articulation system, which allows the operator to utilize a torque limiting screwdriver to apply a measured clamp load between the dentitions; and developing an adapter that allows the headform to be mounted in various orientations, facilitating impacts at different locations on the mandible.
