Samsung Australia has unveiled a connected headband prototype called brainBand that helps athletes monitor their risk for concussions.

Players are taking hits the equivalent of a car accident at 55 kilometers an hour, and some could be taking hits twice that strong, according to the video describing brainBand. It’s only obvious that these sort of impacts can wreak havoc in the brain and effects may add up overtime, leading to a neurodegenerative disease, called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

Said headband was developed by industrial designer Branden Wilson and neuroscientist Dr. Alan Pierce, who took part in Samsung’s Mixed Talents initiative, which is designed to pair two people from different industries to solve certain problems. Neither are employees at Samsung, but the Korean company has given them an additional grant to keep developing their technology.

The project was originally announced in October 2015, and since then – Samsung Australia has released a series of videos documenting the development of the prototype device.

Inside, the brainBand packs a an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a Bluetooth module, LEDs, and a battery. The device measures the force of impacts and sends this data via an app to medics, referees, and coaches on the sidelines. The LEDs on the device also react by changing colors to indicate the severity of the impact. As for the app, it allows players and other parties to see a history of their impacts.

There are also other devices we’ve seen in the past that track head impact for concussion risk, including those made by BrainScope, X2 Biosystems and MC10, which we’ve covered in the past. Some of them are already available, and some are being tested as we speak by sports team as well as the military (BrainScope).

[Via: mobihealthnews]