Helmet Sensors Could Help Reduce Brain Injuries from IEDs From: NASA Tech Briefs Insider - 12/03/2008 Of all the threats facing US soldiers in combat, among the most dangerous are roadside bombs and other improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) scientist David Mott is conducting research to predict the risk of traumatic brain injury for U.S. soldiers wounded by IEDs. He is developing sensors for Marine Corps battle helmets that will record blast events - data that would provide medical teams better information for triage and care immediately following a blast. The sensors could also store the history of trauma to help determine cumulative effects. To get a sense for how traumatic a head blow from an explosion can be to someone wearing a ballistic helmet, Mott's team modified crash test dummies with sensors that could measure the pressure of a blast at various locations on the surface of the head. The pressure waves these blasts generated are the same as those that someone standing near an IED might actually experience. The sensors measured variable pressures in the large explosions depending on whether they were on the front, back, or side of the mannequin relative to the explosion and whether they were covered by the helmet. They discovered that a helmet can act as a focusing mechanism. If a shockwave from a blast hits a helmeted head, it can penetrate the gap between the helmet and head, travel up inside the helmet, and come down the other side to focus on the side of the head facing away from the explosion. There it can combine with other shock waves wrapping around the outside of the helmet and produce even greater pressures than the side facing into the blast. The research may help suggest ways to redesign helmets with flanges or shields that would redirect shockwaves from nearby explosions away from the opposite side of the head. Read the entire article at: Modeling Brain Blasts http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/21712/?a=f Links: Helmet sensors hold promise for traumatic brain injury http://www.smartbrief.com/news/advamed/storyDetails.jsp?issueid=931B0324-E9D2-4361-90A9-1A3108DD3203©id=BFE12F11-0D71-4F3B-AEEB-D641FE8D1E13&brief=advamed&sb_code=rss&&campaign=rss Helmet Sensors Help Soldiers Survive http://www.military.com/news/article/army-news/helmet-sensors-help-soldiers-survive.html?col=1186032369115 Helmet sensors to measure blast impact http://www.zeenews.com/sci-tech/technology/2008-11-28/486915news.html Helmet Sensors to Track Brain Activity http://www.military.com/news/article/helmet-sensors-to-track-brain-activity.html?col=1186032310810 Helmet experiments aim to limit GIs' brain injuries http://www.mysanantonio.com/health/Helmet_experiments_are_aimed_at_limiting_GIs_brain_injuries.html