Mouthguard-based wireless high-bandwidth helmet-mounted inertial measurement system

Abstract

Characterizing head impacts in athletic and occupational settings requires the evaluation of accelerations of the head. Often athletic and occupational scenarios with a heightened risk of head injury or impact already utilize helmet and/or mouthguard hardware. We present a device which relies on existing safety equipment to implement a mouthguard-based inertial measurement device. This device uses high-bandwidth spatially-separated single axis accelerometers and a helmet-mounted data collection and transmission system to record and report accelerations of the head with a measurement bandwidth and resolution that exceeds existing mouthguard-based inertial measurement systems. The device is capable of recording data for the duration of an athletic event (∼3 h) and transmitting impact events wirelessly to a receiver unit outside of the field of play, allowing for the real-time monitoring and recording of head impact events. Keywords: Accelerometer, Mouthguard, Instrument, PCB, Head, Concussion, Brain, Inertial, Characterization