Winthrop company wins $250,000 grant for head injury-protection material
File photo / Amber Waterman
James Ferguson's company, Alba-Technic in Winthrop, is receiving a $250,000 grant to help develop its patented material that protects against head injuries.
A Winthrop company was one of five companies across the country to receive $250,000 to help develop technologies to protect against head injuries.
The company, Alba-Technic LLC, will compete with the other four firms for a $500,000 grand prize from the National Football League, Under Armour, GE and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
The competition is meant to support the discovery, design and development of advanced materials that better absorb or dissipate impact, NIST said in a release Tuesday announcing the winners. The new materials could be used to improve the performance of protective gear, playing surfaces and equipment for athletes, members of the military and others.
The five winners were selected from 125 entries.
Alba-Technic developed a shock-absorbent honeycomb material with an outer layer that changes into a hard shell upon impact to spread the energy and protect the user from injury, according to the release.
The founder of Alba-Technic, James Ferguson, an electrical engineer from Scotland, told the Bangor Daily News that he came up with the idea for a headband with the honeycomb when coaching youth soccer. He said he made the headband to help the young players gain confidence in heading the ball.
That concept became a building block for the patented material developed by Alba-Technic, the BDN reported.
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