A Lichfield student who developed epilepsy after receiving treatment for a brain tumour has designed a hat to protect others from head injuries when they experience a seizure.
Owen Sutton created the insert from smart materials as part of his product design course at Nottingham Trent University.
The 22-year-old developed the prototype from Poron XRD – a material which absorbs more than 90% of energy when impacted at high strain rates.
His design comes after suffering seizures following an operation to remove a tumour from his own brain, one of which caused him to bang his head.
Owen said he wanted to buy a seizure hat for his own use but found nothing which he felt was wearable and discrete.
“Most seizure hats look painfully obvious to the outside world that they’re for medical reasons.
“When you consider that wearing one is completely optional, there’s no way we will ever see a huge take-up of them if people feel self-conscious. I would personally hate to wear one in a restaurant, for instance, and have everyone staring at me.
“People I have spoken to, as part of my research, found that they were treated differently by members of the public when wearing one.
“Some felt that people acted cautiously around them – no one wants that experience.
“I’m convinced there’s a better solution. By improving the appearance of a seizure hat, so it appears for all intents and purposes like an ordinary hat, it will increase uptake and help more people with epilepsy feel safer.”
Owen Sutton
Owen designed his working prototype for Nottingham Trent University’s Summer Show, which will see graduating artists and designers displaying their work as part of an online public exhibition.
Richard Malcolm, lecturer in product design at Nottingham Trent University, said:
“Owen has taken his personal experience of a serious medical condition and used it to fill an apparent gap in the market and help other people.
“He’s created a product which will enable people with epilepsy to feel less self-conscious when wearing a seizure hat. In turn, that may increase the uptake of such products and improve people’s safety by preventing serious head injuries.
“He’s created a product which will enable people with epilepsy to feel less self-conscious when wearing a seizure hat.
“In turn, that may increase the uptake of such products and improve people’s safety by preventing serious head injuries.”
Richard Malcolm
