A New Technology
Brain Sentry is a revolutionary head impact sensor for monitoring two significant risk factors for brain injury: hard impacts to the head and frequent impacts to the head. The sensor attaches quickly and easily to the back of a football, hockey or lacrosse helmet.
The device presents a flashing red alert light when an athlete experiences an unusually rapid acceleration of the head, indicating that the player should be assessed for possible injury. The sensor also tracks subconcussive hits, helping coaches identify players with tackling and blocking techniques that include excessive head/helmet contact.
Brain Sentry’s hit count technology captures and displays the total number of head impacts for the day, the past seven days, and since device activation. It also displays the number of alert level hits incurred. If a player is cleared to return to play, the red light can be reset.
The sensors are made in the U.S., are waterproof, weigh one ounce, and are guaranteed to last a year without battery charging. They are available in a variety of colors. A simple “peel and stick” application and tab removal activation allows the sensors to quickly become another set of eyes on the field.
Brain Sentry sensors are available for the three most popular helmeted contact sports -- football, lacrosse, and hockey -- and are being developed for biking, alpine, soccer and other non-helmeted activities.
How it Works
The Brain Sentry Impact Sensor is calibrated to alert when the helmet experiences rapid acceleration or deceleration. It is not a concussion prevention device and it is not a diagnostic device.
Brain Sentry’s sensor estimates direction, peak acceleration, and duration of impacts as experienced at the center (CG) of the head. The sensor technology includes a micro-electromechanical, tri-axial accelerometer capable of measuring acceleration from any direction. Helmets provide varying levels of impact protection depending on the direction of the hit. Brain Sentry’s proprietary, DAS™ technology (Directionally Adaptive Sensing) provides a consistent alert level – independent of hit direction.
Too often athletes don’t communicate their concussion symptoms because they don’t want to be pulled out of the game. It’s also possible they don’t even realize they have a concussion. Knowing is critical because many catastrophic brain injuries are the result of second impacts to already concussed athletes (referred to as Second Impact Syndrome or SIS).
Too many lives are affected by undetected concussions each year, and the numbers continue to grow. Brain Sentry has a simple goal: to stop lives from being devastated by sports-related brain injuries. The sensors help coaches, parents and safety monitors identify players that should be evaluated for a concussion.
Research has established the two biggest risk factors for concussion are 1) getting hit hard in the head and 2) getting hit often in the head. Brain Sentry sensors work by measuring both of these factors.
More than 10 years of peer-reviewed published scientific literature in journals, such as The Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine and The Journal of Neurotrauma, has established both the need for impact sensors and that head impact sensors address these risk factors. There is consensus in scientific literature that the concussion injury threshold is within a range from 60g to 100g of head acceleration and deceleration. Studies have found that 75 percent of concussions occur above 75g of head acceleration. Brain Sentry sensors alert within this range of head impact and help identify players to be assessed.
Players that tackle with their heads are more likely to get brain injuries — therefore they should learn to tackle with their heads up — Brain Sentry sensors count head impacts at average levels of impact (20g and higher) and have been successfully used by coaches to help identify players that use their helmets too much to tackle.
Research has also established that 50 percent of football-related concussions occur during practice (versus games) and it is well established that reduction of head contact during practice will reduce concussions. Sensors objectively identify football practice drills which account for disproportionate percentage of head impacts during practice and therefore provide guidance to changing those drills to reduce head contact.
All over the country and around the world, more than100,000 athletes are participating in leagues or teams that are either mandating or endorsing Brain Sentry Impact Sensors.
The sensors can be ordered online at www.brainsentry.com. Pricing is $75 for the first year and $55 for subsequent years. They are available through Bolt Athletics.
