STORY: These professional mountain bikers are testing a new head impact monitor.
The little gadget – called the HIT Device – attaches to the outside of the helmet and warns the user when a rough ride could cause injury, even if they haven’t fallen.
Euan Bowen, who developed HIT in Scotland, says the device can help athletes recognize when to take a break, allowing the brain to recover.
“There are people who don’t know when to stop or when to continue. It’s “do I have a concussion, right?” it is the only organ in your body that does not have pain receptors. So all we do is inform you with data so you can make a better decision, whether it’s your friend, your teammate, or your parent.
As these riders exercise, the HIT device monitors and records the impact force of their heads.
The activity is visible through an app that uses a traffic light warning system to help users decide whether they need medical attention.
Reece Wilson is a former mountain bike world champion.
“This HIT system is going to be huge for us. We can just monitor all of these impacts and if we ever come across one that’s too big and requires us to take some time off, so be it, we can develop a plan from there and make sure that we do not add any additional elements. stress or injury to the brain.
Concussions can be difficult to diagnose, due to various factors such as strength, bone thickness and previous concussions.
Wilson has first-hand experience, having to be sidelined for an entire year due to a concussion.
“It’s very difficult to track a brain injury just because you can’t see it. It’s in your head and everyone has symptoms that I suppose can be easily diagnosed as something else as well. It’s so a very complex situation. So a device like this, I think it’s vital.
High-impact sports, such as rugby and American football, are also trying to better identify and treat head injuries.
HIT says monitoring head impacts could help coaches make better decisions about when to bench a player or take a rider off their bike.
But the HIT device is not limited to professional athletes: anyone can use it.
Bowen says the more users there are, the more data they can analyze.
“We’re not just collecting data in the lab, we’re going to collect it from everyday users and professional runners, and we’re seeing trends. We’ll look at gender, age, maybe even start building equipment, and then from there you’ll start to see the bigger picture.”
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