STORY: These professional mountain bikers are testing a new head impact monitor.
The small device – 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 could help athletes recognize when to take a break – allowing the brain time to recover.
“There are people who don’t know when to stop, who don’t know when to continue. It’s ‘I have a concussion, isn’t it? It is the only organ in the body that does not have pain receptors. So all we’re doing is informing you with data so you can make a better decision, or your friend, your teammate, or your parents.”
As these riders train, the HIT device monitors and records head impact force.
Activity is viewed through an app, which uses a traffic light alert system to help users decide if they need medical attention.
Reece Wilson is a former mountain bike world champion.
“This HIT device will be huge for us. We can just monitor all of these impacts and if we ever have one that’s too big that takes us to a bit of a break, so be it, we can follow a plan from there and make sure we’re not adding any extra impacts. stress or brain injury.
Concussions can be difficult to diagnose due to several factors such as strength, bone thickness, and previous concussions.
Wilson has first-hand experience, having had to sit out an entire year due to a concussion.
“It’s very difficult to track a brain injury simply because you can’t see it. It’s inside your head and everyone has symptoms that can easily be diagnosed as something else as well. So it’s a very complex situation. So a device like This one, I think is vital.”
High-impact sports such as rugby and football are also trying to better identify and treat head injuries.
HIT says monitoring head impacts can help coaches make better decisions about when to bench a player or remove a cyclist from the bike.
But the HIT device isn’t limited to professional athletes – anyone can use it.
Bowen says the more users, the more data they can analyze.
“We’re not just collecting data in the lab, we’re collecting it from everyday users and professional pilots, and we’re seeing trends. Let’s look at gender, age, maybe even start building equipment and from there you start to see the whole picture.”
