Describing headform pose and impact location for blunt impact testing

Reproduction of anthropomorphic test device (ATD) head impact test methods is a critical element needed to develop guidance and technologies that reduce the risk for brain injury in sport. However, there does not appear to be a consensus for reporting ATD pose and impact location for industry and researchers to follow. Thus, the purpose of this article is to explore the various methods used to report impact location and ATD head pose for sport-related head impact testing and provide recommendations for standardizing these descriptions. A database search and exclusion process identified 137 articles that met the review criteria. Only 4 of the 137 articles provided a description similar to the method we propose to describe ATD pose and impact location. We thus propose a method to unambiguously convey the impact location and pose of the ATD based on the sequence, quantifiable design, and articulation of ATD mount joints. This reporting method has been used to a limited extent in the literature, but we assert that adoption of this method will help to standardize the reporting of ATD headform pose and impact location as well as aid in the replication of impact test protocols across laboratories.