Biomimetics in Helmet Design: A Review of Aerodynamic Perspectives

Recent advancements in helmet design demonstrate that mimicking natural models can enhance both aerodynamics and safety protection. Thus, this paper comprehensively reviews the bio-inspired helmet designs reported in the latest computational and experimental studies, in addition to discussing the biomimetic approaches that integrate aerodynamic optimization with performance. The key aerodynamic characteristics include surface texture, vent layout, wake behavior, and flow separation. The safety factors discussed are energy absorption, material toughness, and impact dispersion. It has been demonstrated that certain designs offer outstanding performance compared to others. For instance, the Air Attack helmet showed the lowest drag coefficient by about 0.0328 at a pitch angle of 25°. The bio-inspired configurations show an improvement in both aerodynamics and safety metrics: hedgehog-spine-based auxetic liners reduced Von Mises strain by about 41.5% and lowered traumatic brain injury (TBI) risk by 72.65%, beetle-elytron structures reduced 65% of mass without compromising strength, and diatom-patterned liners increased energy absorption up to 70% compared with honeycomb designs. With these integrations of aerodynamic and biomimetic approaches, this paper presents emerging opportunities for next-generation helmets that utilize nature-derived surfaces, hierarchical composites, and multifunctional materials to provide lighter, safer, and more efficient protection.