Spoiler alert—American football is a full contact sport. As such, we can safely assume it’s no small coincidence that around the time American football was cultivated (circa the early 1890’s), protective head-gear prototypes weren’t far behind (circa the mid 1890’s). Helmets became a safety staple on the football field to help players protect their most valuable (and vulnerable) asset—their brains.
Recently though, there has been additional focus on the cranio-spinal well-being of football players. Concussions and (at times more severe) neck injuries have received stern focus and subsequent demands for a preventative solution. Product developers were prompted to reach beyond the scope of the helmet and find an additional method of protection.
Thanks to the unending progression of modern technology, a new device is on the market that both answers the call for increased player safety and makes my nerd-nerves tingle with excitement. Behold—the X2IMPACT DVT3 Mouthguard!
The folks at the Seattle-born company X2IMPACT developed this device to help stop sports brain injuries. It looks deceptively like a run-of-the-mill mouth-guard, but is actually a data-crunching powerhouse in clever disguise. Using gyroscopes, accelerometers, and cloud-based software, the impact-sensing mouth-guard is able to transmit live data reflecting the physical condition of a player’s head post-collision.
The X2IMPACT DVT3’s cloud retains readings from a base-line assessment of the player in a healthy, impact-free state. Subsequently coaches, doctors, and therapists alike can determine from readings taken post-hit if a player has suffered a concussion or is otherwise hurt.
Like a lot of things in life, the DVT3 comes with a variety of accessories. Carrying cases and chargers are the most basic and since the mouth-guard is a classic “boil and bite” contraption—which poses an eyebrow-raising problem as electronics and water have never mixed well together. To circumnavigate this, X2IMPACT manufactured the Fitting Float (simple yet effective!).
The more a player inputs data into the devices cloud (the more they use the mouthguard) the more accurate the assessments become. Although the DVT3 is predominately used in football (including all 32 pro teams), one would hope that other impact-heavy sports jump on the safety bandwagon, too. Hockey players, for example, could absolutely utilize this technology. After all, we all only get one head—might as well do all we can to protect it.
Sensor technology allows for players to take a proactive approach to their health rather than a reactive approach to injury. Ideally, one day, advancements like this will reassure parents that they won’t have to worry that their child could become paralyzed (or worse) while playing high school football. Or they will stop players from suffering multiple concussions and allow them to recognize the injury at first hit.
All I can say is, when it comes to your head, it never hurts to put safety first!
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Julia Randall is a die-hard Denver Broncos fan with a (slight) no-bake cookie addiction. When she’s not daydreaming about buying a new long-board, you can find her writing about fantasy sports.