Mouth Guard Impact Sensing with Biometric Thresholds
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current solutions for detecting head injuries in sports are not flexible or precise enough, often requiring cumbersome equipment like helmets or multiple pieces that interfere with play, and fail to provide early detection of concussions, which can lead to repeated and severe brain trauma.
Innovation Solution
A single-piece, wearable mouth guard with on-board sensors and diagnostic logic that monitors linear and rotational forces, allowing users to set personalized impact thresholds and display risk levels through LED indicators, which can also communicate data to a remote device for further analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If helmets or multiple-piece monitoring systems are used for head injury detection, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate due to cumbersome equipment that interferes with play
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines impact sensors, processing electronics, power source, and display components into a single integrated mouth guard device. This merging of previously separate monitoring components into one unified wearable unit resolves the technical contradiction by maintaining detection precision while eliminating the complexity and interference caused by multiple separate pieces of equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The mouth guard serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides dental protection, monitors linear and rotational impacts, processes sensor data, stores biometric information, and displays injury risk alerts. This multi-functionality allows a single device to replace helmets and separate monitoring systems, resolving the contradiction between detection accuracy and device complexity.
2Measurement precision
If comprehensive monitoring systems with multiple sensors are deployed, then measurement precision improves, but ease of operation worsens due to complicated deployment and customization requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The mouth guard automatically performs calibration and threshold determination using onboard sensors and stored biometric data without requiring external equipment or complex setup procedures. The device self-configures impact thresholds based on user-specific biometrics, resolving the contradiction by maintaining precision while dramatically simplifying operation to merely wearing the device.
3Reliability
If early concussion detection is implemented through sensitive sensors, then reliability of injury assessment improves, but object-generated harmful factors worsen due to false alarms that may interfere with play
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors impact data and provides real-time feedback through LED alerts when concussion risk thresholds are exceeded. The feedback mechanism uses user-specific biometric thresholds to distinguish between normal play impacts and genuine concussion risks, resolving the contradiction by maintaining high reliability while minimizing false alarms through personalized baseline comparison.
Solution Approach 2:
The mouth guard dynamically adjusts impact thresholds based on stored biometric parameters (age, weight, height, gender) and historical performance data. By changing the assessment parameters according to individual user characteristics, the system maintains high reliability in concussion detection while reducing false alarms that would interfere with normal play.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The mouth guard effectively detects and indicates potential head trauma risks, providing early warning of concussions and improving athlete safety by allowing for timely evaluation and reducing the likelihood of further injury.
Implementation Method 1
sensors to collect data on impacts applied to a user's head
Implementation Method 2
display risk levels through LED indicators
Data Source
AI summary
A mouth guard senses concussive forces, calculates risk factors for head injury, and displays status of risk and potential injury. The mouth guard may be used to identify, treat and prevent exacerbating injury. The mouth guard can be programmed with biometric data to better calculate and anticipate impact thresholds and more precisely predict and prevent injury.