This mouthguard can detect the severity of a hit and alert coaches when a player might have a concussion.
Whether you’re on the football or baseball side of the argument, sports in general is America’s favorite pastime. The sad truth, however, is that there are 3.8 million sports-related concussions per year. From quarterbacks to catchers, athletes across the spectrum face the risk of traumatic head injuries in every game. Some athletes continue playing injured without them or their coaches realizing how critical the impact is, which is why Force Impact Technologies is creating smart sporting equipment to detect injuries and preventing further damage to the brain.
The Los Angeles-based company’s first product, FITGuard, is a smart mouthguard that detects the severity of an impact to the head. It visually indicates how intense the impact was, using embedded LEDs. Force Impact strives to improve the quality of athletes’ lives by integrating technology and sports.
When in use, FITGuard continuously samples rates of acceleration, and when the peak rate breaches a threshold, the LEDs will change colors. A green light indicates a low-impact blow, blue means there is a moderate risk of injury and red signifies severe impact, alerting coaches and referees to immediately remove the player from the field. FITGuard is Bluetooth-compatible and can communicate with any BLE-enabled smartphone. The accompanying mobile application provides parents, coaches, and leagues with insight into an athlete’s injury and previous impact history. FITGuard’s app considers the user’s weight, gender, and age to measure the impact of a blow, giving quantifiable data to make informed decisions.
Force Impact Technologies is taking the next step in curtailing chronic concussions that threaten the lives of athletes with FITGuard. Preorders of the device are available for $129 and first units are expected to ship by April 2016. To learn more about the product, visit the Force Impact Technologies website here.
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