Linx IAS among gadgets that could “make our future healthier”

February 26, 2015Scott FeathermanLinx IAS NewsLeave a comment

By Peter Nowak

When we think of wearable gadgets, we tend to picture smartwatches that notify us of incoming e-mail or step counters that track our movements. The Linx IAS, however, is one wearable that goes beyond novelty or mild utility. It’s a potential life-saver.

The Linx IAS, or impact assessment system, monitors impacts to the wearer’s head via a small, USB key-shaped sensor that fits into a skullcap or headband. When it detects a significant blow or trauma to the head, it transmits the information to a phone or tablet app nearby, where it can be tracked.

The Linx IAS has its origins in military testing, but it’s now being developed for use in professional sports. Rochester, N.Y.-based Blackbox Biometrics Inc. hopes it will help reduce the number of concussions suffered, or limit the severity of injuries by giving players and coaches better advance warning.

“As a coach, it’s hard to tell when a kid’s taking too many punches,” boxing trainer Dominic Arioli told The Verge, a website that covers the future of technology, science, art and culture. “If they take a decisive blow, that’s obvious – but the accumulation of punches is another thing.”

Blackbox says the Linx IAS can help by tracking every blow and its severity, and by advising coaches on when to pull players. The company expects the $199 (U.S.) device to be available in April.

In Canada, more than 11,000 people die each year from traumatic brain injuries, according to the Brain Injury Association of Waterloo-Wellington. One in five sports injuries are head-related.

Linx IAS among gadgets that could “make our future healthier” | theglobeandmail.com

BlackBox Biometrics Founder & CTO, Dave Borkholder talks concussions and TBI on Tech Nation Radio

February 6, 2015Scott FeathermanLinx IAS NewsLeave a comment

On this week’s Tech Nation, Dr. Moira Gunn speaks with Dr. David Borkholder, Founder and CTO about BlackBox Biometrics’ wearable technology to measure concussive forces: The Blast Gauge System and Linx IAS.

(Segment begins around the 35 minute mark)

 

Linx IAS on Tech Nation Radio | NPR.org

How Could Technology Make Football Even Better?

February 1, 2015Scott FeathermanSports NewsLeave a comment

From Gizmodo

Happy Super Bowl day, everyone! I hear the Seahawks of Seattle are about to battle it out with the Patriots of New England. Should be a fun one, but is it really as fun (or as safe) as it could be.

Sure, football has tons of history and we can have arguments about the integrity of the game and some such, but my question for you this football-crazed evening is how could technology make the famous game of pigskin even better? Of course, the above image might suggest that football could take the game to another dimension with added jetbacks. Um…awesome!

But this year did see some unprecedented innovation in U.S. sports. I think we can all agree that the NHL has the right idea of integrating GoPros into the hockey rink, and the NFL should follow some similar approach to technological innovation (not just Surface Pro 2’s on the sidelines).

There are also other ways that technology could make a more serious lasting impact on the game. Not so much in an entertainment sense, but in ways that protect players and their mental health. During the football season this year, there were 123 separate cases of concussions. Scientists are looking to implement magnets in players’ helmets to help repel concussive damage and head-to-head contact. Tech companies, like Blackbox Biometrics, are developing sensors to help track concussion related injuries and provide useful and maybe even life-saving data to physicians.

Whether it’s a little bit of football fantasy or more grounded hopes, how do you think technology could fashion a Football 2.0?