A dedicated team of iPhone Life writers combed the far reaches of every hall to find the coolest new tech for the iPhone or iPad. Their Best of CES 2015 awards went to “the most forward-thinking, creative, and useful iOS-related gear coming to market this year.”
Linx IAS was chosen among over 3,600 CES exhibitors. They were given an acrylic award for their accomplishment to display with their booth.
Linx IAS won the prestigious “Editor’s Choice Award” from Reviewed.com. Along with receiving prominent placement in the January 8, 2015 edition of USA Today, BlackBox Biometrics was given a stunning trophy recognizing their accomplishment.
From Reviewed.com:
The Linx IAS by BlackBox Biometrics monitors and rates any concussive or sub-concussive head impacts an athlete suffers over the course of a season, stores that information, and makes it available via a slick smartphone app. Significantly, over time the accumulated data can be used to gauge the danger of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), thought to be the cause of memory loss in professional athletes. The data may also help scientists learn more about the dangers moving forward.
The device itself is small enough to fit inside a headband or skull cap, and was developed in conjunction with the U.S. military. It records the rotation and force of each blow to the head and even lets the user know when medical attention is necessary. At under $200, it’s a great option for youth athletes, their parents, or even whole teams.
BlackBox Biometrics Linx IAS | Reviewed.com
Consumer Electronics Show hosts latest devices for head injuries
Consumer Electronics Show hosts latest devices for head injuries | CBSNews.com
The Verge highlighted Linx IAS in a special Consumer Electronics Show 2015 edition of Detours.
Detours is a web series funded by the Ford Foundation about traveling across the country to find the people, groups, and companies that are solving America’s problems in new and unconventional ways. BlackBox Biometrics’ Linx IAS was recognized as one of these revolutionary products.
Can a small head-borne sensor help save athletes’ lives? | The Verge
By Joe Stohlman, Reviewed.com
BlackBox Biometrics will be debuting their award-winning Linx Impact Assessment System (IAS) at the 2015 International CES. The military-tested Linx IAS technology is built to measure and track head injuries during sports and youth activities.
Thanks to some high-profile cases in the NFL, concussions are slowly being recognized as a serious risk for athletes, especially children and teens. According to the CDC, more than 170,000 traumatic brain injuries are reported annually in children up to 19 years old.
The Linx IAS is a wearable device, much like the Checklight Impact Indicator from Reebok. The device is the size of a stick of gum, and can be attached to headbands, custom skull caps and other headgear.
It boasts mobile connectivity that sends live information directly to the sidelines, so coaches know when a player has been affected. The mobile app will work on Android and Apple devices, helping coaches and parents track head impacts over time. There’s also a feature that helps to identify signs and symptoms of concussions after the hit.
BlackBox says the Linx will be available at the end of Q1 2015, and we’re hoping to check it out in person on the show floor this week. Hopefully our hands-on impressions won’t include actual head trauma.
Protect your kids with an Army-grade concussion tracker | USATODAY.com
By James Niccolai
They dont make a lot of headlines, but the tiny sensors that track movement, orientation and pressure are the quiet heroes of the International CES.
Properly known as micro-electro-mechanical systems, or MEMS, the sensors really do have impossibly small mechanical parts and are mounted on chips just a few millimeters across.
Smartphones contain dozens of them, and the popularity of those devices has driven down prices for MEMS and allowed them to be used in other products where they might otherwise have been too expensive.
Take the Linx Impact Assessment System, a device on show here that weighs a little more than a penny and fits into a headband or skull cap to monitor athletes for concussion-causing collisions.
The Linx IAS contains a 3-axis accelerometer, a 3-axis gyroscope, and low-power Bluetooth Smart technology to transmit collision data to the sidelines, with the goal of helping trainers and doctors to identify and treat potential injuries more quickly. It’s available for pre-order from BlackBox Biometrics, which says it will ship the product soon.
MEMS are in virtually every wearable computer and fitness gadget at CES, including a chest band from Wahoo Fitness that counts how many push-ups youve done, or the ShotTracker device that records how many shots a basketball player has attempted.
Along with products containing sensors, there are new MEMS components being announced at CES this week. Bosch Sensortec, a big maker of sensors, announced what it calls is the world’s first environmental device combining sensors for pressure, humidity, temperature and indoor air quality.
The device could find its way into smart smoke alarms for the home, or into smartphones that share their data to provide new insights about atmospheric pollution and weather. Bosch says samples will ship to device makers this quarter.
Another company, PNI Sensor, is introducing a bracelet-like development kit that’s packed with sensors from different vendors that PNI has pre-integrated, allowing other companies to get devices like smart watches and fitness bands to market more quickly. The kit, including connectivity and a programmable processor, is available now for US$299.
There are whole conference tracks at CES devoted to MEMS, though they may draw few attendees outside the industry. But without MEMS, a lot of the smart gadgets at CES would be a lot less clever.
MEMS sensors are the quiet heroes of CES | PCWorld.com