Injury control, a new branch of engineering science, is developing rapidly, incorporating the fundamentals of biomechanics, engineering mechanics, and control design. This book covers optimal protection from impact, especially the prevention of injuries. The book's first part presents the fundamentals of impact, without specific reference to injury control. Building on the first part, the second part deals with particular injuries. Treating the human body as a multi-faceted engineering system, the coverage illustrates system designs to prevent injury under specific environmental conditions, whether in an automobile, aircraft, or military situation.

The late Walter D. Pilkey, PhD, was the Morse Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, with courtesy positions in Plastic Surgery and Neurosurgery at the University of Virginia. He received his BA, MS, and PhD from Washington State University, Purdue University, and Penn State University, respectively.

Dmitry V. Balandin, Dsc (Physics And Mathematics), is the Chair of Numerical and Functional Analysis at Nizhny Novgorod State University, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. His areas of expertise include shock isolation, automatic control, and theoretical mechanics. He received his MS, PhD, and DSc, from Nizhny Novgorod State University, Institute for Problems in Mechanics of the USSR Academy of Sciences, and Moscow State University, respectively.

Nikolai N. Bolotnik, Dsc (Physics And Mathematics), is the head of the Laboratory of Robotics and Mechatronics at the Institute for Problems in Mechanics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia. His areas of expertise include optimal control, shock isolation, and robotics. He received his MS, PhD, and DSc degrees from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Institute for Problems in Mechanics of the USSR Academy of Sciences, and Moscow State University, respectively.

Jeff R. Crandall, PhD, received his BA degree from Dartmouth College and his PhD from the University of Virginia, where he is currently a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Director of the Center for Applied Biomechanics. His research involves characterizing human response and injury during dynamic loading.

Sergey V. Purtsezov, PhD, received his MS and PhD degrees from the Nizhny Novgorod State University, Russia, and is presently a research scientist at the Center for Applied Biomechanics of the University of Virginia. His research interests include shock isolation, measurement, and modeling in biomechanics.