The object
Per Reinhall co-founded VICIS and helped engineer the ZERO1 football helmet, whose deformable outer shell was designed to manage collision forces differently from a rigid shell. The manufactured helmet reset performance expectations in professional football, bringing university biomechanics research into a widely scrutinized safety product.
What Per did
Co-founded VICIS and helped engineer the ZERO1 football helmet's deformable shell and impact-management system.
Why it matters
Testing reported by Digital Trends placed the ZERO1 among the NFL's top-performing helmets, with twenty-five of thirty-two teams contacting VICIS about using it.
Living-status check
The University of Washington's July 2025 announcement names Reinhall as chair of an engineering review committee, positive evidence he was alive and active in 2025.