Saints running back Pierre Thomas is no stranger to impact. One cringe-worthy hit that comes immediately to mind came during during the playoff game against the 49ers in January of 2012. Thomas left the game after a helmet-to-helmet hit by Donte Whitner. The hit appeared to leave Thomas unconscious, and he didn’t return to the game.
But, sometimes the impact from a big hit isn’t so obvious that it renders a player unconscious. Concussed players have been known to continue to play in a football game after a head trauma without a proper diagnosis. The player may be confused, but he has the muscle memory to keep functioning in the game. Or a coach or trainer may not recognize just how hard the player was hit quickly enough between plays.
Battle Sports Science is trying to address that issue. According to the website, the company specializes in making “innovative
products that address the day’s greatest sports safety challenges.” The company produces the Impact Indicator chinstrap, which is meant to aid in the detection of high impact hits.
The Impact Indicator is worn on a players’ chinstrap. Micro sensors and software technology are used to measure the force and duration of a hit to a player’s helmet. Head Injury Criterion (HIC) is used to measure the likelihood of injury from a hit. If a player sustains a hit above 240 HICs, the Impact Indicator’s LED light flashes red. This alerts players, coaches, and/or referees that the player should be evaluated for possible injury.
Pierre Thomas of the Saints and BenJarvus Green-Ellis of the Bengals both wore the product during the 2012 season and endorsed it. Players at all levels of the game–including high school, college, and pro–have used the Impact Indicator. (There are also impact indicators for other high impact sports.)
Cort Irish, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the Omaha-based company (and fellow Omaha Westside grad), answered a few of my questions about the product.
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