Although most concussions occur without loss of consciousness, recognition and proper response can help prevent further injury or even death. Since most of the time, there isn’t a doctor around, modern technology could help.

The Jolt Sensor is a small clip that can easily attach to any piece of head-worn athletic equipment such as a helmet, a headband, goggles, or headgear.Enter Jolt, a small, mobile-connected wearable sensor that allows parents and coaches to track and evaluate their children’s head impacts in real-time. The device, which began as an engineering lab project at MIT, is now raising funds at Kickstarter.

The Jolt Sensor is a small clip that can easily attach to any piece of head-worn athletic equipment such as a helmet, a headband, goggles, or headgear. The sensor enclosure has a soft rounded silicone rubber exterior to prevent injury and is fully waterproofed to stand up to dirt, dust, sweat, and rain. It has a multi-week battery life and is rechargeable via a standard micro USB port.

When an athlete’s head accelerates in a potentially dangerous way, Jolt vibrates to alert the athlete. It also connects to parents’ and coaches’ smartphones (Android and iOS) to alert them on the sidelines. With a range of over a hundred yards, the sensor stays connected anywhere on the field.

A coach can track their entire team at the same time, while benefitting from the more detailed analytics of the coach dashboard.Using the dedicated app, parents can track their children and grant permissions to other parents that they trust to track their children in the event that they cannot be at a practice or game. Similarly, a coach can track their entire team at the same time, while benefitting from the more detailed analytics of the coach dashboard.

God forbid a dangerous impact is detected, a parent or coach will be immediately notified that the athlete should be evaluated on the sideline with the app’s built-in cognitive test and concussion symptom checklist. The results of this test along with the impact data are presented in simple and understandable terms for parents and coaches.

A player showing any signs or symptoms of a concussion should not return to play until evaluated by a medical professional, as only a doctor can diagnose a concussion. Finally, all of the important data is stored in the cloud for quick and easy access by you and your doctor.