Quote:The shell, called Guardian Cap and invented by Atlanta’s Erin and Lee Hanson, is designed to dissipate 33 percent of the force of the impact to the helmet. The goal is to reduce the impact of hits, which can only help players.
“We have to do all we can to put these guys in position where we don’t get them injured,” Georgia State coach Trent Miles said. “Thank God that Guardian helped us with that. We’ve already got the benefits in just one day.”
All Georgia State players are wearing the white shells, which makes them look a little like storm troopers from “Star Wars,” for all practices. The shells contain 39 individual pockets of soft material, weigh less than seven ounces and are fastened to the helmets by snaps and Velcro. Guardians won’t be worn in the games.
Erin Hanson, a graduate of Georgia State, and her husband Lee, a graduate of Georgia Tech, developed a prototype of the Guardian several years ago. Their Alpharetta-based company, the Hanson Group, helps solve other companies’ problems with materials and technology.
They were approached by another company in 2009 about helping to design and produce a