BYU Engineers Develop Football Helmet Smartfoam Designed to Measure Impacts
From: Physical Therapy Products - 09/22/2017

A team of engineers and scientists from Brigham Young University (BYU) has
developed a nano composite smartfoam designed to replace the regular padding
inside football helmets, and accurately measure impacts in real time.

The smartphone measures the impact of a hit during football play via
electrical signals. The data is then collected in real time and sent
wirelessly to the tablet or device carried by the coach or trainer on the
sidelines. By studying the data, coaches can determine how hard a player was
hit, and whether there should be concerns about a concussion and taking the
player out of the game.

Read the entire article at:
http://www.ptproductsonline.com/2017/09/byu-engineers-develop-football-helmet-smartfoam-designed-measure-impacts

Links:
Nano-Composite Foam Sensor System in Football Helmets
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10439-017-1910-9

BYU-developed helmet smartfoam signals potential concussions in real time
https://news.byu.edu/news/byu-developed-helmet-smartfoam-knows-how-hard-youve-been-hit-if-you-have-concussion

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Helmet Smart Foam Signals Potential Concussions in Real Time
From: Medical Design Briefs - 11/01/2017

The foam replaces regular padding in football helmets; produces immediate
data on impacts.

Brigham Young mechanical engineering PhD student Jake Merrell and a team of
researchers across three BYU departments have developed and tested a
nanocomposite smart foam that can be placed inside a football helmet and pads
to more accurately test the impact and power of hits.

The foam measures the impact of a hit via electrical signals. The data is
collected in real time and sent wirelessly to the tablet or device of a coach
or trainer on the sidelines. A coach can know within seconds how hard a
player has been hit and whether or not they should be concerned about a
concussion.

The foam, which replaces the standard helmet foam, measures a composite of
acceleration, impact energy, and impact velocity to determine impact severity
and location of impact, all with 90 percent accuracy, according to research
published by Merrell in the Annals of Biomedical Engineering. To date, no one
— not even the NFL - has been able to successfully measure the impact energy
and velocity of a collision, which are two data points necessary to
accurately measure whether a player is at risk of a concussion or not. 

Read the entire article at:
https://www.medicaldesignbriefs.com/component/content/article/mdb/tech-briefs/27851

Links:
Smart foam takes aim at concussions by measuring helmet impact (with video
  2:24)
https://news.byu.edu/news/smart-foam-takes-aim-concussions-measuring-helmet-impact

Nano-Composite Foam Sensor System in Football Helmets
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10439-017-1910-9
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/articles/28884239