Design Story
Impact Sensing Mouthguard
X2Impact
The Head Impact Monitoring System is a product system based on embedded high performance acceleration and rotation sensors in a custom fitted and/or boil-and-bite protective mouth guard. It is used in sport-specific helmeted sports; monitoring and reporting real time head injuries to coaches and doctors on the side line for immediate evaluation.
The mouthguard’s design had to be super compact and incorporate sensors, accelerometers, radio antennas, LEDs, a data connection point, contact sensors, and a battery. It also had to be comfortable, durable, and waterproof.
The design is inspired by the faceted and angular yet sleek and futuristic design aesthetics of contemporary body armor and modern rugged equipment and vehicles. Its form was designed for strength and comfort equally. Literally hundreds of dental impressions, form studies, and prototypes were created to evaluate comfort, component placement, fit, and aesthetics. Testing started in the laboratory in custom impact test jigs before functional prototypes could be tested on the playing field. The final design solution is an intricate and proprietary multi-shot molded part encompassing a flex circuit containing all of the necessary components for real time data transmission and sideline evaluation.
haiku:
Helmets hit hard
stars orbit around my head
I am a cyborg
