June 23 (UPI) -- A sensor patch worn on the back of the neck may help measure whiplash and predict the risk of concussion in high-impact sports such as football, new research suggests. The study was published Thursday in Scientific Reports. Advertisement Nearly 4 million concussions related to sports and recreational activities occur annually in the United States, but as many as 50% of concussions may go unreported, experts say. "The end goal ... is to have wearable, untethered patches that can provide real-time information about the head and neck movement of the athlete," Nelson Sepúlveda Alancastro, principal investigator for the study, told UPI. RELATED Standard tests lack accuracy for assessing concussions He is a professor in the electrical and computer engineering department at Michigan State University. His doctoral student, Henry Dsouza, ran the experiments and completed the vast majority of the analysis, Alancastro said. In their work, a small and flexible device was able to detect sudden neck strain, such as whiplash, using a test dummy. Advertisement The researchers developed a novel patch sensor using a film layer of thermoplastic material that produces electrical energy when physically touched or pressure is applied, a news release said. RELATED Survey: Half of Americans says kids shouldn't play tackle football The electrical signal that is produced is proportional to the physical strain on the neck and can be used to estimate the acceleration and velocity of sudden neck movement, which are two important markers for predicting concussion. Currently, devices are available to help predict concussion, such as accelerometer-based sensors that detect motion when placed in an athlete's helmet. But these devices "are bulky and can give false readings when the helmet moves on the person's head," according to the release. To test the sensor patch, the researchers applied the device to the back of the neck of a dummy that had accelerator-based sensors and a gyroscope inside its head. RELATED Study: No link between head impacts in youth football and brain, behavior issues They then dropped the dummy from a suspended height of 24 inches to simulate whiplash, and found the sensor patch's output "had a strong positive correlation of 90% with results from the sensors inside the head," the release said. "The original idea was motivated by creating a wearable, untethered patch which can transmit information about the head accelerations experienced by a high-contact sport athlete," Alancastro said. Advertisement But the patch may also find applications "in monitoring structural health of underground pipes," he said, "and we are also looking at applications for monitoring underwater species." Alancastro said current technologies used to monitor head movements are based on helmeted devices. These often provide inaccurate readings since they are translating helmet movements -- which do not necessarily represent head or body movements. He said the researchers didn't focus on a single patch. "We must have tested dozens of patches, each time improving reliability, which is one of the major current bottlenecks. We are also working on the self-sensing capabilities of the device," he said. He described the newly devised sensor as more comfortable and also likely less costly than the currently used sensors for predicting concussion. "They are much cheaper than current accelerometers used in helmeted devices, and it should not feel different than having a 'Band-Aid' on the neck," he said. Alancastro acknowledged that it is still possible to get false readings from his team's patch. "There are many sources of noise and false electric signals, and this is something we are working on," he said. "How can we use the patch readings to obtain an accurate description of the head and neck movements? We have many different ideas and approaches in mind." Advertisement Latest Headlines Health News // 8 hours ago First monkeypox vaccine clinic in U.S. opens in New York City New York City became the first U.S. city to start offering the monkeypox vaccine to those at high risk for the disease Thursday. Health News // 11 hours ago Study finds THC in 60% of CBD products tested You might be getting a little unwanted something extra when you buy a CBD product at your local grocers or supplements store, a new study warns. Health News // 12 hours ago COVID-19 vaccines prevented 20 million deaths globally in first year, study finds Nearly two-thirds of the world's population has had at least one COVID-19 vaccine, which has prevented nearly 20 million deaths, new research finds. Health News // 17 hours ago Screening to predict development of kidney disease underutilized, doctors say WASHINGTON, June 24 (UPI) -- Finding better ways to determine whether a person is at risk of chronic kidney disease could help introduce lifestyle changes to prevent a condition that affects roughly 38 million adults in the United States. Health News // 17 hours ago CBD marketing for dogs way ahead of the science, experts say NEW YORK, June 24 (UPI) -- Dog owners give their furry companions CBD-based products to treat everything from anxiety to arthritis, but just like with humans, benefits of the compound for canines remain unproven, experts told UPI. Health News // 18 hours ago Hate crime laws associated with drop in youth suicide attempts Hate crime laws that protect gay, lesbian and transgender people may have an unexpected benefit: fewer teen suicide attempts, among kids of all sexual orientations. Health News // 19 hours ago Nearly two-thirds of Americans use sleep aids, survey finds If you struggle to fall asleep at night, you are not alone. About 28% of Americans say insomnia is taking a toll on their daily lives, and about 64% say they take sleep aids to help them fall asleep or stay asleep. Health News // 1 day ago FDA bans all Juul e-cigarettes in U.S.; lung association hails decision The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday told Juul Labs Inc. it must stop marketing all of its products currently sold in the United States. Health News // 1 day ago Moderna: COVID-19 booster targeting Omicron will be ready by August Moderna Inc. announced Wednesday that the revamped COVID-19 booster shot it has developed to fight Omicron and its subvariants should be ready for public use by August. Health News // 1 day ago Breast cancer tumor cells may spread more at night, study shows When breast cancer patients sleep, tumor cells may "awaken" and spread through the bloodstream, a surprising study out of Switzerland reveals.
June 23 (UPI) -- A sensor patch worn on the back of the neck may help measure whiplash and predict the risk of concussion in high-impact sports such as football, new research suggests.
The study was published Thursday in Scientific Reports. Advertisement
Nearly 4 million concussions related to sports and recreational activities occur annually in the United States, but as many as 50% of concussions may go unreported, experts say.
"The end goal ... is to have wearable, untethered patches that can provide real-time information about the head and neck movement of the athlete," Nelson Sepúlveda Alancastro, principal investigator for the study, told UPI. RELATED Standard tests lack accuracy for assessing concussions
He is a professor in the electrical and computer engineering department at Michigan State University. His doctoral student, Henry Dsouza, ran the experiments and completed the vast majority of the analysis, Alancastro said.
In their work, a small and flexible device was able to detect sudden neck strain, such as whiplash, using a test dummy. Advertisement
The researchers developed a novel patch sensor using a film layer of thermoplastic material that produces electrical energy when physically touched or pressure is applied, a news release said. RELATED Survey: Half of Americans says kids shouldn't play tackle football
The electrical signal that is produced is proportional to the physical strain on the neck and can be used to estimate the acceleration and velocity of sudden neck movement, which are two important markers for predicting concussion.
Currently, devices are available to help predict concussion, such as accelerometer-based sensors that detect motion when placed in an athlete's helmet. But these devices "are bulky and can give false readings when the helmet moves on the person's head," according to the release.
To test the sensor patch, the researchers applied the device to the back of the neck of a dummy that had accelerator-based sensors and a gyroscope inside its head. RELATED Study: No link between head impacts in youth football and brain, behavior issues
They then dropped the dummy from a suspended height of 24 inches to simulate whiplash, and found the sensor patch's output "had a strong positive correlation of 90% with results from the sensors inside the head," the release said.
"The original idea was motivated by creating a wearable, untethered patch which can transmit information about the head accelerations experienced by a high-contact sport athlete," Alancastro said. Advertisement
But the patch may also find applications "in monitoring structural health of underground pipes," he said, "and we are also looking at applications for monitoring underwater species."
Alancastro said current technologies used to monitor head movements are based on helmeted devices. These often provide inaccurate readings since they are translating helmet movements -- which do not necessarily represent head or body movements.
He said the researchers didn't focus on a single patch. "We must have tested dozens of patches, each time improving reliability, which is one of the major current bottlenecks. We are also working on the self-sensing capabilities of the device," he said.
He described the newly devised sensor as more comfortable and also likely less costly than the currently used sensors for predicting concussion.
"They are much cheaper than current accelerometers used in helmeted devices, and it should not feel different than having a 'Band-Aid' on the neck," he said.
Alancastro acknowledged that it is still possible to get false readings from his team's patch.
"There are many sources of noise and false electric signals, and this is something we are working on," he said. "How can we use the patch readings to obtain an accurate description of the head and neck movements? We have many different ideas and approaches in mind." Advertisement