News
Army and NFL use helmet technology to detect TBI
The U.S. Army recently increased their purchase of high tech helmets designed to detect the strength of head movement and impact. With “blast injuries” caused by Improvised Explosive Devices (IED’s), soldiers away from the immediate point of the explosion can experience a brain injury as the pressure wave whips through sensitive neural brain tissue and internal organs. The new purchase of $16.9 million brings the total spent on high tech helmets to $34 million. It is hoped that through improved detection, brain injuries can be better detected and soldiers who need treatment and rehab can be pulled from the battlefield at an earlier time.
The National Football League will also be using helmets equipped with sensors to detect sudden head movements and impact among football players who are known to experience multiple concussive injuries leading to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) which is associated with accelerated deterioration of the athlete’s brain, cognitive and emotional changes and, in some cases, suicide.
The detection of Traumatic Brain Injury still has a long way to go, but through the application of technology we hope to see fewer and less severe brain injuries among troops and athletes.
To read more about the Army’s helmet technology:
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-army-orders-more-helmet-sensors-for-screening-of-head-and-brain-injuries-2012-07-09
