The NFL is taking initiative to protect players from head injuries. At the forefront of this initiative is technology.
The Head Health Challenge was created to find innovative ways to promote head safety and reduce brain trauma among athletes, members of the armed forces and all of society. Teaming up with Under Armour and General Electric (GE), seven winners were selected and recently announced, chosen from nearly 500 submissions.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a press release: “Each of these seven winners will help advance the science towards our shared goal of making sports safer. New materials, equipment designs and technology breakthroughs will better protect athletes, no matter what sport they play. We are looking forward to supporting their next stages of development.”
Award winners received $500,000 each and could get an additional $1,000,000 to continue their work. Additionally, as a part of this initiative, GE and the NFL have committed nearly $40 million over four years to the research and development of new brain imaging technologies.
As a result of this work, patients with mild brain trauma will be diagnosed more effectively and receive targeted treatments. Also, helmets will be made more safe; and valuable information about impacts to the head during football will be gathered.
The Head Health Challenge recently announced the seven awardees and provided great videos that give an inside look into how each of these seven new products can make the game of football more safe, and even help society as a whole with head injuries.
Below are the Head Health Challenge official descriptions and videos about the innovative head health products from the Army Research Laboratory, Emory University, UCLA, University of Miami, University of Washington, University of New Hampshire and Viconic Inc. Each video is worth a watch, as these seven teams each had their own creative approach to protect football players from head injuries.
Army Research Laboratory, Baltimore, MD—The Army Research Laboratory (ARL) created rate-dependent tethers that allow free motion at low speeds, but provide high-force resistance during high-speed events. ARL proposes using these smart materials to connect the head to the torso, allowing voluntary head movement during sports action, while minimizing sudden accelerations caused by high speed collisions, often associated with concussions. Beyond sports, this technology also has the potential to mitigate head trauma for members of the military.
Emory University, Atlanta, GA—Researchers and engineers from Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology developed a prototype medical device that can screen and assess concussions in near real-time. The portable device, known as iDETECT, can be used on the sidelines of sporting events. It consists of a headset and handheld device that rapidly assesses the player’s symptoms, including cognitive function, balance, and eye movements.
UCLA, Los Angeles, CA—UCLA and Architected Materials, Inc. are developing a new energy-absorbing microlattice material for improved helmet performance. They are developing a material to be used as a new under-helmet liner that would absorb significantly more energy than current designs and, therefore, better protect the brain. Through a collaboration of material designers, mechanical impact experts, and neuroscientists, they will utilize a new 3D printing platform to develop real-time responsive helmet technology.
University of Miami, Miami, FL—The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and Neuro Kinetics, Inc., is developing a portable eye-goggle that gathers and measures precise eye movements. The I-Portal® PAS goggle will assist in identifying mild traumatic brain injury in real-time, leading to more accurate concussion diagnosis. This advanced research into traumatic brain injuries has received funding support from the U.S. military at the Army Medical Research and Materials Command and the Department of Defense Hearing Center of Excellence.
University of Washington, Seattle, WA—Together with commercial partner VICIS, Inc., a team at University of Washington is developing a revolutionary football helmet. The helmet boasts a novel impact absorbing structure that mitigates forces likely to cause concussion. The UW/VICIS team is built with thought-leading neurosurgeons, mechanical engineers, and business leaders committed to using science to protect athletes. Learn more at www.vicis.co.
University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH—University of New Hampshire researcher Erik Swartz will lead a study to evaluate the effectiveness of a helmet-less tackling training system called the HuTTTM Technique. Proposed as an intervention for head impact prevention in high school football, this technique emphasizes proper tackling and blocking technique using closely supervised drills, where players participate without their helmets and shoulder pads. UNH will investigate whether regular implementation of the HuTTTM technique results in player behavior change and reduces injury risk by reinforcing proper technique when players go into full-equipment play.
Viconic, Inc., Detroit, MI—Viconic’s research is focused on developing an underlayer for synthetic turf systems that will make fields safer for those who play on them. Viconic’s technology is widely used for impact management in the automotive, sporting industries, and in the U.S. Military. Viconic will further explore the relationship between optimized head impact protection and the frequency of lower limb injuries, in an effort to provide the synthetic turf industry a tool to specify systems that maximize player safety and minimize safety costs.