Crash-testing concussion sensors

How head-impact sensors might one day help athletes, coaches and doctors identify more dangerous hits that could lead to concussions. Michigan Engineering researchers are helping to test a new high-profile device.

In an effort to improve understanding of how the head and neck respond to hits that athletes might experience, Michigan engineers and doctors are testing two high-profile head impact sensors. They've outfitted a crash test dummy with both Riddell's helmet-based Head Impact Telemetry System (HITS) and X2 Biosystems' newer X Patch, designed to be worn right on the skin behind the ear. They're comparing the data of these sensors in order to pave the way for more robust research with the new system, which could provide a clearer picture of how the head moves through space.

In recent years, the sports, science and medical communities have come to understand the devastating long-term effects that repeated concussions and even weaker blows to the head can have on athletes' brains. Neither sensor can detect concussions directly, but they could provide more information to coaches and doctors.