A new wearable monitoring technology is ready to detect and prevent head injuries.
Sports concussions have become national news in recent years. Now, the Albuquerque, N.M.-based Pressure Analysis Company is making waves with its SmackCap head monitoring technology. The relatively new wearable tech helps detect and prevent head injuries.
Monitoring is an essential step in preventing and curbing long-term brain trauma. Technology companies and startups are fighting back as more information and data about the dangers and negative long-term effects of concussions become readily available.
SmackCap’s patent-pending technology wirelessly monitors and detects hits to the head in real time. Their lightweight, flexible and breathable skullcaps can be worn under any type of helmet, and they can be worn without a helmet. Small built-in sensors monitor and record data based on the amount of pressure and impact every hit causes.
Every parent needs to watch this video https://t.co/xcYhGfMC5L Please share with your friends and family…. https://t.co/6qpRMmbS3K
— Pressure Analysis Co (@ePACtech) December 3, 2016
PAC CEO Michelle Urban spoke about SmackCap with SportTechie in Feb. 2016. “Our overall market is contact sports such as football, soccer, rugby and lacrosse,” Urban said. “We are starting with football on a broad level. Our customers are parents of younger athletes and professional and university-level teams.”
Albuquerque’s indoor football team, the Duke City Gladiators, partnered with PAC to test SmackCap. PAC hopes it can help make contact sports safer by providing everyone involved with vital head impact data.
SmackCap’s small monitors detect and list the g-force of every hit to the head. The data can then be used to help coaches and players change and improve techniques, which can help lessen the chance a head injury occurs.
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Head injuries are not always obvious, and smaller hits to the head, over a long period of time, can be just as serious as sustaining a few major injuries. One of the biggest monitoring problems is that athletes often fail to report their head injury symptoms.
Last year the NFL stopped having players wear head impact measuring accelerometer technology in their helmets. Engineers working with the NFL Players Association and league officials concluded that the data being collected was flawed. PAC claims to offer more reliable and improved wearable accelerometer tech.
Our #TheMobileys winner Michelle showing Sen @tomudall her game changing #wearable, SmackCap this morning! @ePACtech pic.twitter.com/9je9fJ36di
— Mobile Future (@mobilefuture) December 7, 2016
“The problem is that accelerometer sensors primarily detect only the hardest, concussive hits,” said Urban. “However, studies have shown that it is the accumulation of all hits – both large and small – that lead to brain trauma.”
Urban met with Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico on Wednesday in Washington D.C. to discuss PAC’s head monitoring technology. SmackCap is not currently available for purchase, but according the website, the preordering process is underway.