PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Diya TV) — The group of 10 researchers at Brown University is developing tools like sensor-filled helmets and special harnesses. Their goal is to better understand brain injuries and stop them before they happen. These efforts are part of a U.S. Navy-funded project called PANTHER. The project brings together multiple institutions to study how trauma impacts the brain at a microscopic level.

Each year, around 2 million people in the U.S. suffer from a traumatic brain injury (TBI). These injuries range from mild concussions to more serious conditions like chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Athletes, soldiers, and even children on playgrounds are at risk.

But TBIs are hard to detect. That’s because the brain has no pain receptors. People often don’t know they’ve been injured until much later. “This makes concussions and other forms of TBI particularly insidious,” said Kesari, an associate professor in Brown’s School of Engineering.

To fight this problem, Kesari’s lab created a special helmet called the accelo-hat. It uses accelerometers to track how the head moves during high-impact events. Think of it like a Fitbit for your brain’s health.

The accelo-hat has already shown how certain actions, like heading a soccer ball or riding a high-speed Navy boat, can stress the brain. The team uses this real-world data to build virtual models that simulate how these forces move through the skull and into the brain.

The Brown research team isn’t working alone. Neuroscientist Diane Hoffman-Kim and senior research associate Rafael González-Cruz are key collaborators. González-Cruz studies how tiny 3D brain cell cultures react to force. This helps the team visualize how damage happens inside the brain.

Postdoctoral researcher Yang Wan helps turn theory into practice. He builds experiments based on Kesari’s models to test them in Navy-supported labs. Hana Butler Gutiérrez, a former undergrad now working as a research associate, designs new materials that absorb impact. She’s creating small silicone lattices that fit inside helmets to soften the blow.

The accelo-hat isn’t just being tested in labs. The National Institute for Aviation Research used it to study aircraft seat design. They ran crash tests using dummies wearing the helmet to see how seat height and added cushions affect injury levels.

“We could test what changes — like seat height or added cushioning — actually make a difference in injury outcomes,” Kesari said.

The team hopes their work will lead to smarter gear and better safety across sports, the military, and transport. The ultimate goal is not just to diagnose brain injuries faster, but to stop them from happening at all.

“We aim to protect the brain before the damage occurs,” Kesari said.

Kesari is a member of Brown’s Solid Mechanics group. He focuses on how materials stick, break, and come into contact. He earned his doctorate and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from Stanford University. He completed his undergraduate studies at the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati.

His team’s research could be a game-changer in how we approach brain safety.