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Thursday, March 28, 2024
NEWS  |  CAMPUS

UF researchers develop impact-sensing mouthguard technology

<p id="docs-internal-guid-e8306363-5dae-0da4-63ca-0f3d589fb515" dir="ltr">H3 testing app (left) with a prototype of the device (right).</p>

H3 testing app (left) with a prototype of the device (right).

A new high-tech mouthguard developed by UF researchers is helping scientists understand the effects of head injuries. 
 
Named H3, the mouthguard is fitted with a computer chip that has 11 sensors, including devices to measure the force of impacts and  head rotation, said Yong-Kyu Yoon, a UF Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering associate professor, who developed the technology.
 
Using an app via Bluetooth, sensors offer real-time measurements of heart stress and heat stress as a player participates in practice, he said. 
Researchers hope to use the information sent from the mouthguard to see how impacts affect the body in training, Yoon said. 
 
“We still don’t know the direct relationship between concussions and impacts,” Yoon said. “But we know there’s a chronic relationship between the two.”
 
The H3 will be available to the public in around a year, Yoon said in June. 
 
Using technology to detect head impacts is not a new concept, according to Yoon. Impact sensors on helmets have existed for years, but UF doctoral researcher Todd Schumann said helmet sensor readings are not always accurate because the helmet may move differently than the head. From its position inside the mouth, the H3 gives a much more direct measurement, he said.
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The researchers believe the H3, with its ability to measure data over time, will improve society’s understanding of the effects that repeated head impacts have on athletes. Yoon said the H3 could give researchers new insight into the nature of concussions and the steps that can be taken to prevent them.
 
“[The H3] will provide much excellent information for concussion determination, or for any other damage determination,” Yoon said.

H3 testing app (left) with a prototype of the device (right).

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