An energy absorbing assembly (10) is provided for decelerating an object that impacts the assembly. The assembly comprises an incident member (12) having an incident surface (14) that meets the impacting object and at least one energy absorbing member (16) attached to an attachment region (17) of an opposing face (18) of the incident member (12) for accommodating deformation of the assembly (10). The energy absorbing member (16) comprises a lattice of interconnected strands (20), wherein the strands (20) intersect to define a plurality of cells (22). The energy absorbing member (16) is oriented such that the plane of each cell (22) is substantially perpendicular to the attachment region (17) in order to maximize energy absorption over a given distance. The lattice collapses and at least some of the cells (22) become at least partially closed during energy absorption.