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Donal McNally, a specialist in biomechanics at the University of Nottingham, in Britain,
英國諾丁漢大學的生物力學專家Donal McNally表示，
says that an ideal helmet would make the best use of the space between shell and head, adjusting its stiffness depending on the speed of impact.
一個理想的頭盔應充分利用外殼和頭部之間的空間，根據撞擊速度調整其堅硬度。
The RAT design does just that. However, its success will depend on whether the shear-thickening material
RAT設計就是這樣。但其成功將取決于剪切增稠材料是否能夠
can be engineered to have the correct stiffness for both slow and fast impacts.
被設計出既適應慢速又適應快速沖擊的堅硬度。
Dr McNally notes also that the suspension will require some clever design
McNally博士也注意到，這種懸架將需要一些巧妙的設計，
because the tethers respond only to tension, not compression, making it hard to cope with impacts from all directions.
因為拴繩只對張力產生反應，對擠壓力沒有反應，這使其難以應對來自所有方向的沖力。
Dr Wetzel's priority at the moment is getting industry to share his excitement about the new technology.
此刻Wetzel博士的首要任務是讓行業分享他對這項新技術的興奮之情。
Firms selling to civilian customers generally work faster than people on the military side of things, he says,
他說，面向平民客戶的公司通常比軍方的工作速度快，
and if consumer applications take off that will generate a manufacturing and design base which can support military ones.
如果消費者應用取得成功，這將產生一個可以支持軍事應用的制造和設計基底。
To this end, his team has retrofitted an American-football helmet with RAT suspension.
為此，他的團隊在美式橄欖球頭盔上加裝了RAT懸架。
Head protection is a huge and increasing concern in gridiron football.
在美式橄欖球賽場，頭部保護是重點且受到日益關注。
There has been a dramatic fall-off in the number of youngsters taking up the sport because of worries about head injuries.
由于擔心頭部受傷，從事這項運動的青少年人數急劇下降。
Improved protection might help change that. An independent laboratory tested the helmet and, in the most taxing test,
加強保護可能有助于改變這種狀況。一家獨立實驗室對這種頭盔進行測試，且在最為繁瑣的檢測中，
found that it reduced the "severity index" (a measure of the likelihood of a wearer suffering brain injury)
他們發現，其降低了“嚴重性指數”（測量佩戴者遭受腦損傷的可能性）
from 393 for the helmet's standard version to 190. One of the laboratory's operators said he had never seen a result of less than 200 on the test concerned.
從頭盔標準版的393降至190。實驗室的操作者之一表示，他從未在相關測試中看到過低于200的結果。
Nor are helmets the only possible application for RATS.
頭盔并不是唯一一種可以應用于RATS的設備。
Dr Wetzel and his team have already tested them as chin straps to hold helmets in place, and as straps for pairs of goggles.
Wetzel和他的團隊已經測試了它們作為下巴帶固定頭盔，以及作為護目鏡帶子的效果。
RAT-based straps could eventually be useful for everything from hikers' backpacks to babies' pushchairs.
以RAT為基礎的帶子可能會用于一切事物，比如徒步旅行者的背包以及折疊式嬰兒車。
Whether they will have applications in ships' ratlines remains to be seen.
它們是否能應用于船只的繩梯橫索仍有待觀察。
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