TRENDS
08 condition is still only superficially understood due to a lack of hard data . Until now .
Athletes in contact sports have worn mouthguards for decades : The simple pieces of moldable synthetic material act as crash helmets for teeth , gums and jaws . HitIQ ’ s electronic mouthguards provide this protection while also recording data produced by impacts .
Embedded with sensor technology and a data chip , HitIQ ’ s mouthguard employs motion detection and multiple high-resolution accelerometers that measure the impact of a blow to the head . The impact data is streamed via Bluetooth to the HitIQ app . From the app , the data is uploaded to the company ’ s cloud and presented in a web-based portal for postgame analysis .
“ Apart from inserting a sensor into the brain , this is the next best thing ,” says Mike Vegar , managing director of HitIQ . “ We are able to identify and monitor every single head impact that the players experience . The data we are receiving is starting to paint a much more colorful picture about what is possible in terms of care and what is the best treatment for athletes .”
“ Apart from inserting a sensor into the brain , this is the next best thing .” — Mike Vegar , managing director , HitIQ
HitIQ ’ s data portal , for example , can spotlight players who have sustained the biggest impact in a particular setting and benchmark it against their history of impact . The firm ’ s True Impact Profile ( TIP ) metric acts as a kind of severity index , comparing any single impact against a database containing more than 10,000 video-verified impacts . The
TIP score can help team managers identify players who may require monitoring or a further follow-up medical assessment .
HitIQ is currently being trialed in professional sports around the world , including rugby union , rugby league and Australian rules football . It is also being trialed in American football at the college level .
“ There are going to be so many insights that come out of the mouthguards ’ data set ,” says Vegar . “ And , ultimately , it is going to be a great outcome for the athlete .”
NFL SINKS ITS TEETH INTO TRIALS HitIQ isn ’ t the only mouthguard innovator on the market . Players from 10 NFL teams and college football rosters in North Carolina , Alabama , Washington and Wisconsin wore mouthguards fitted with kinematic sensors during the 2021 – 22 season .
Developed by the league in partnership with Charlottesville , Virginia-based firm BioCore , the trial is part of the NFL ’ s $ 60 million “ Engineering Roadmap ,” which includes developing better prevention and treatment for head impacts . Effectively , the trial will record data every time a cornerback , for example , gets crunched in a play .
“ Sophisticated and specific data collection is central to our work to find better ways to research , diagnose , understand and better prevent injuries ,” NFL Chief Medical Officer Dr . Allen Sills says . At a granular level , the data can be used as a reference for performance and medical staff to monitor players ’ impact loads and to assess risk during competition .
The data may also apply in planning training sessions to limit head impact exposure from contact drills , resulting in safer team environments and , importantly , healthier athletes . ■