Now that we know about the long-term effects of repeated head injuries, which can lead to a degenerative brain disease called CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), parents can do more to ensure that their little athletes are protected. A new wearable aims to minimize the damage caused by concussions—not by preventing them, which isn’t a guarantee, but by detecting them.
Prevent Biometrics, a startup spun off from the Cleveland Clinic, is launching two smart mouthguards for kids over 11 that monitor for head impacts to assess their severity. Studies show that half of all concussions in the U.S. go unreported. Prevent Biometrics’ mouthguard records all head impacts and measures them against a Max G Impact Threshold. The mouthguard syncs to an app that stores an athlete’s data, so team personnel can see the number and severity of head impacts over time.
You’ll be able to buy a head impact monitor from Prevent later this year for $200, or order a custom fabricated model for $300.
