Samsung Develops Brainband To Tackle Concussion
Samsung Australia has developed a wearable that it hopes can prevent head injuries in contact sports like rugby and the NFL by closely monitoring concussions.
The Brainband is essentially a rubber strap that fits around the athlete’s head and looks a bit like a sweatband. It has sensors that are able to read and register the movement of the brain, while a series of LED lights at the back of the band can indicate when a player has taken a hit. The severity of the hit is then indicated by a yellow, orange or red flashing light.
All the information is sent in real time to a phone, tablet or smartwatch. That data could then be in the hands of the coach, the medical team on standby or even the referee.
Samsung hopes getting that data quickly to the right people could help prevent further injuries during a match, helping medical staff to effectively treat a player. It will also log a player’s impact history over a season or their entire career. Whether they stay at the club or move on, that information can be accessed to help get a better understanding of the long term effects of taking too many hits out on the field.
Industrial designer Braden Wilson and neuroscientist Alan Pearce, creators of the Brainband, currently have 10 working prototypes of the smart headband. Samsung Australia has also given the creators a grant to help to get the idea into production. We’re sure there’ll be a few folks over in the US keeping a close eye on how the pair get on with this potentially groundbreaking piece of wearable kit.
The article originally appeared here.
