Helmet Sensor Records Forces in Soldiers' Concussive Events
According to PEO Soldier, the agency that develops and procures equipment for Army soldiers, the Gen II sensor weighs about 2.14 ounces and can store 1 gigabyte of data.
Honeywell announced May 15 that it has completed the delivery of 218 helmets containing advanced Spectra Shield® and Gold Shield® ballistic materials so the U.S. Army can test them as it sets new helmet performance requirements. A primary goal is to reduce the weight of soldiers' body armor and head protection, and Honeywell said these helmets, part of a contract signed with the Army in April 2011, are designed to be 16 to 24 percent lighter than the helmets currently used.
The new helmet materials and designs will be evaluated by the Army's Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier, a 10-year-old organization based at Fort Belvoir, Va., that develops and procures equipment for Army soldiers. PEO Soldier recently posted details and photos of the Gen II Helmet Sensor, describing it as finally bringing a screening capability to potential head and brain injuries.
The sensor weighs about 2.14 ounces and can store 1 gigabyte of data.
"When a Soldier goes through a concussive event, such as an IED explosion, he or she often does not remember exactly what happened. The event is so sudden, and the jolt so intense, that there are cases where the Soldier has walked away, thinking he was unharmed, only to learn later that he has suffered a traumatic brain injury," according to the agency's description. "The new Gen II Helmet Sensor takes away the guesswork by recording the forces that affected the Soldier during the concussive event. The helmet-mounted sensor records, measures and stores linear and rotational accelerations to the helmet. It even measures the overpressure generated by an explosive event. This information will help with regard to early detection of traumatic brain injury, and will help experts compile information that could lead to better detection and improved diagnosis of concussive events. Though the unit is not a medical device, the data it collects will be very useful to the medical community in providing treatment of traumatic brain injuries."