Smart Mouthguard Electronics for Impact Monitoring

When an athlete or a soldier sustains a concussion, the most critical step is to immediately remove them from action to allow for proper recovery. However, many head injuries go undetected, and the reasons why some impacts cause concussions while others do not remain largely unknown.

To address this, innovative connected devices must be developed that revolutionize how we understand and respond to head impacts immediately after they happen without guessing. By providing instant alerts when a person sustains a head impact above a specified threshold, it can help protect the long-term health of athletes and military personnel.

Thanks to cutting-edge advancements in sensor technology and electronics miniaturization, Prevent Biometrics now offers discreet and accurate head impact monitoring through a low-profile mouthguard. With objective data readily available, coaches can quickly identify players who need sideline evaluations, implement safer techniques, and provide researchers with reliable data for groundbreaking studies.

Prevent Biometrics’ innovative solution comprises three seamlessly integrated components:

1. Instrumented Mouthguard (iMG): A dual-purpose device that fits comfortably in the wearer’s mouth, serving as both a protective mouthguard and a sophisticated monitoring tool. It calculates the force, location, direction, and frequency of impacts, wirelessly transmitting the data via Bluetooth for real-time assessment.
2. Wireless Charging Case: Utilizing the Renesas (former Panthronics’) PTX100W and PTX130W NFC wireless charging ICs, this case charges the iMG wirelessly.
3. Bluetooth Extender for Accurate Monitoring (BEAM): A BLE signal repeater that extends the range of Bluetooth transmission, ensuring accurate and continuous monitoring across the field.

BEAM is engineered to vastly extend the range of data transfer for head impact alerts, ensuring that critical alerts reach pitch-side medical professionals within seconds. This rapid response capability significantly reduces the time needed to identify and manage at-risk athletes, enhancing player safety during matches.

With full field coverage, BEAM provides comprehensive monitoring of head impacts, a crucial feature for maintaining the highest level of athlete protection. Compact and powerful—smaller than a deck of cards—this device requires no additional on-field equipment to automatically sync head impact data. BEAM is truly plug-and-play, operating seamlessly without any manual interaction or internet connection, making it ideal for any environment, from professional arenas to community rugby fields.

As a trusted partner for over 150 organizations worldwide, Prevent Biometrics is honored to serve as the head impact data provider for some of the world’s largest and most influential sports and military organizations, including World Rugby and the U.S. Department of Defense.

Recently, the BEAM technology has undergone extensive testing in stadium environments across the international rugby circuit, most recently at Loftus Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa. During the Summer International match between World Cup Champions South Africa and Six Nations Champions Ireland, played in front of 50,000 spectators, BEAM proved its effectiveness in a high-profile, real-world setting.

Further demonstrating its reliability, BEAM was utilized throughout the U20 Rugby Championship, where it was worn by the main referee in every match. The system successfully transmitted all head acceleration events exceeding World Rugby’s alert threshold to the pitchside app within 30 seconds of impact. This rapid response capability is crucial for the swift identification and treatment of at-risk players, helping to prevent further injury and ensure the highest standard of care.

Prevent Biometrics is committed to advancing athlete safety through state-of-the-art technology. Their cutting-edge head impact monitoring systems deliver real-time data and alerts, enabling quicker and more precise identification of potential concussions. By equipping athletes at all levels with the tools they need for better protection, Prevent Biometrics ensures that every athlete receives the highest standard of care.

Contact Prevent Biometrics for product inquiries, pricing information and further details.