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Sensor-Lined Helmet Detects and Alerts Users to Head Injuries

by Caleb Johnson on July 18, 2010 at 05:30 PM

Injury-monitoring HelmetWhen you strap on a pair of skis or a snowboard, naturally, you run the risk of sustaining a head injury. But students at Northeastern University have developed a helmet that not only protects your head, but monitors the severity of injuries, too. According to Inhabitat, the Head Impact Detection and Alert System is a helmet lined with sensors that measures acceleration and displays the severity of impact on an LCD screen. If the head bump isn't too bad, the screen flashes green, but if the force of impact is severe, the screen flashes red, which means you should seek medical attention.

The helmet, which was developed with help from emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and X-ray specialists, is still being tested as a prototype. That means it's a long way from actually being used on the mountain or anywhere else. But we expect to hear more about this injury detection system soon. After all, it could be applied in many different ways -- like protecting football players or even soldiers from brain damage -- not just extreme athletes. [From: Inhabitat, via: PSFK]

Tags: brain, head gear, head injuries, head injury, HeadGear, HeadInjuries, HeadInjury, helmet, protection, research, skiing, snowboard, snowboarding, sports, top

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