Virginia Tech has started a program which may become the standards for all football programs around the world. They are taking the danger of head injuries incurred during football games which may have an intense impact on the players' life when they grow old.
Small accelerometers are attached to the player's head with Head Impact Telemetry Systems (HITS). Every tackle, hit, and fall of the player's helmet is transmitted to a Sybase database over a 900-MHz wireless signal for cataloguing information for future use. Players may not notice that they've suffered concussions but the Doctors on the sideline can monitor impacts of 98g or more because of the real time data transmitted by the system, so they can effectively prevent the possibility of permanent brain damage that is so common today. Players are pulled aside while the Doctor decides whether or not he should continue to play.
The University is waiting for independent funding from the National Institute of Health because they are hoping to install the chips into every player's helmet.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Wireless Head Impact Monitoring
- Opportunity for companies to develop wireless monitoring solutions for head impacts, not only in football but also in other high impact sports
- Real-time Concussion Detection
- Development of real-time data analysis technology for detecting concussions could revolutionize sports safety and have applications in other industries, such as healthcare
- Preventative Medical Measures
- Opportunity for healthcare and medical device companies to design preventative measures and systems for head injuries to be used in sports and everyday activities
Where This Applies
- Sports Equipment Manufacturing
- Companies who develop innovative solutions for sports equipment, specifically helmets, can improve athlete safety and potentially benefit from new regulations
- Healthcare Technology
- Developing medical technology that can monitor and detect head injuries in real-time could improve patient outcomes in sports and other areas of healthcare
- Data Analytics
- Data collected from head impacts could be analyzed to provide insights for preventing and treating head injuries in sports and other industries
