Marucci Sports Unveils New Smart Fabric to Help Diagnose Head Injuries
The Marucci and Boditrak display at CES 2015.
Through the past decade, more and more focus has been put on head injuries in football.
With rule changes in the NFL and NCAA to youth football participation numbers dropping, some fear that it could be light’s out for America’s game. But before it becomes too late, companies are looking to new technologies to make the most popular sport in America safer.
Head Health Network’s helmets come with a pressure-mapping smart fabric that register each hit taken in real-time. Testing is done to determine an athlete’s baseline mental abilities to examine memory, reaction time, cognitive ability, and other mental functions to determine a normal level of thinking. Then, when an impact or collection of impacts registers hard enough, a team official will automatically be notified via a mobile device.
The smart fabric is inserted into the helmet and then testing is done to determine an athlete’s baseline mental abilities. The examination tests memory, reaction time, cognitive ability, and other mental functions to determine a normal level of thinking. Then, when a hit registers hard enough, a team official will automatically be notified via a mobile device.
Marucci Boditrak’s Head Health Network which uses an accelerometer and a gyroscope in the helmet to detect impacts to alert coaches when athletes get hit hard. The helmet incorporates a smart fabric which detects the location of the impact. (Image via Design World Online)
Once the player has been removed from the field, they undergo standard evaluation and compare the results to the baseline to determine if they are fit to play. If a trained professional is not available, one will be put in contact with the team via telemedicine platforms. Based on the professional’s evaluation, the player will either be cleared to reenter the game or practice or be instructed to go through further medical review.
Marucci BodiTrak’s President, Curtis Cruz, shared with SportTechie in an interview that their goal was to keep some of the guess work out of the careers of athletes, in terms of head injuries.
“If you don’t know what’s happening on the field, you don’t know when to be assessed. If you don’t know how badly you’re hurt, you don’t know when to go back in, and if you don’t have a professional to help, then you’re in trouble,” said Cruz.
“We want to get rid of the ‘play until I can’t play anymore,’ mentality that’s in football. We want to give people enough reasonable information about their health, so they can make informed decisions about their career on their own.”
Concussion symptoms can manifest themselves in a myriad of different ways. From affecting things like balance and vision, to short-term memory, reaction time, and cognitive abilities; all independent of one another. In the NFL, if a player is suspected of a concussion, they must be cleared by an independent physician before being able to return to play.
Cruz, who played high school football, said that he never had a documented concussion, but has some slight suspicions.
“What’s strikes me as unnerving is that everything we were taught about form tackling was ‘keep your head up,’ and when that was done right, it hurt. I certainly remember seeing stars and feeling that stinging sensation.”
Marucci BodiTrak will make its debut with the Louisiana State Tigers during their 2015 spring practices as part of a pilot program. The company is also in serious talks for pilot programs with several youth football organizations.
“2015 is about proving our case,” Cruz said. “2016 our goal is to be ready for a national stage.”
