Concussion impact sensor

Xie, Ziyan; Sibel, Javier M.; Pacheco, Kendall J.; Bowman, Isabel H.

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Concussion impact sensor

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Introduction This project aimed to develop a device to help athletes involved in contact and collision sports detect potential Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs). The group intends for the device to provide real-time data to be used for research purposes by the scientific community. Because there are a large amount of sporting events that do require or encourage players to wear mouthguards, embedding an impact sensor into the mouthguard is an efficient way to promote player safety while keeping the integrity of the sport intact. Background There are currently still many unknown variables in terms of brain injuries and the neuroscience behind it. However, we do know that brain injuries such as a concussion results from a direct or indirect blow to the head. Concussions create transient neurologic impairment and neuropathologic symptoms, these can also be referred to as Traumatic Brain Injuries or TBIs [1]. TBIs often occur in sports such as football, soccer, basketball, hockey, and boxing. TBIs are an evolving issue in society as the scientific community begins to learn more about them as there were about 2.87 million TBI-related emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalizations, and deaths occurred in the United States, including over 837,000 of these health events among children. From 2006 to 2014, the number of TBI-related emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and deaths increased by 53%. The CDC projects that TBI contributed to the deaths of 56,800 people, including 2,529 deaths among children [2]. There are various components that play a role in the biomechanics of a TBI and the seriousness of the injury. There is considerable evidence showing that the primary cause of concussive injuries is the inertial, or acceleration, loading experienced by the brain at the moment of impact. With the head/neck motions that occur during a typical impact, there are two components of acceleration that occur in nearly every instance of TBI— linear and rotational acceleration [3]. Figure 1: Linear Acceleration (4) Figure 2: Rotational Acceleration (4) The linear and rotational acceleration on the skull as shown in Figures 1 and 2 above will cause a buildup of pressure in the skull and shear-induced damage to the brain tissue leading to a TBI. The damage produced also gives rise to neurological and behavioral issues that will last generally based upon the severity of the impact. Design Process The goal of our team’s device is to accurately measure force impacts that are experienced during a course of an athletic event through a mouthguard. There is a link between TBIs and concussions when experiencing severe enough blows to the head. A key function of the device will be to alert the user if there is an impact above a certain threshold that is classified as “severe”. This is to help ensure that there are serious impacts that remain going unnoticed in the future of sports. Below are some of the crucial specifications for our device: High speed device with Bluetooth capabilities User-friendly interface Withstand regular forces upon impact No alterations to mouth guard design Low amount added to price compared to a normal mouthguard Simple and easy charging process Device is able to determine impact with 95% accuracy Final Design The group then designed Iteration 3 which also happened to be the final chosen design shown in Figure 3. This design iteration incorporated space for the battery and usb charger port that was now needed for the mouthguard, as well as being able to be printed and then properly put in the oven to withstand the curing process. This iteration proved to be the most successful as it met the quality features, convenience features, and cost components expectations that were set out originally. The group needed to finalize what sensors we would specifically be using for the mouthguard. The group then decided to use the Nano 33 BLE Sense, which is a 9-axis interior sensor with an accelerometer, gyroscope and bluetooth capabilities already in it. Results Although our team was not able to fully code the device to wirelessly collect the data upon impact; we were able to measure the linear and rotational acceleration through a tether mouthguard. The tethered mouthguard has a usb cord connected from the front of the device to the computer to transfer to the data in real time as the impact occurs. References [1] “Concussion: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatments, Prevention.” Cleveland Clinic, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15038-concussion. [2] Facts About Concussion and Brain Injury. www.cdc.gov/headsup/pdfs/providers/facts_about_concussion_tbi-a.pdf. [3] Meaney, David F., and Douglas H. Smith. “Biomechanics of Concussion.” Clinics in Sports Medicine, vol. 30, no. 1, 2011, pp. 19–31., doi:10.1016/j.csm.2010.08.009.

This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

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