HITIQ technology is being used by scientists in the USA to better understand impacts in football. But how will the technology and increased understanding it brings off the field, translate into increased player safety on it?
The story of head impacts leading to health issues is becoming increasingly common. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) was first reported in an NFL player back in 2005. Initial thoughts were that the condition was rare, however, in a 2017 study, the condition was reported to be present in 87% and 99% of college and NFL players respectively.
It is statistics like these that drive researchers to look closer at head impacts in order to help protect players. HITIQ is part of that journey. Our technology is being used across contact sports to support scientists, coaches and athletes in gaining greater insight into the type, force, consequence and hopefully mitigation of the impacts that are sustained during play.
A host of different monitoring techniques have been used to assess impacts. Video analysis has been used for years as well as sensors in helmets. However, smart mouthguards have been shown to offer a much more reliable and accurate source of impact data.