New wearable sensor measures neck strain- helps in detecting concussion

A newly developed sensor patch worn on the back of the neck may be helpful in predicting the risk of concussion in high-impact sports such as American football or judo. The study, is published in Scientific Reports, reports that the small and flexible device is able to detect sudden neck strain, such as whiplash.

Researchers developed a novel patch sensor using a film layer of thermoplastic material that produces electrical energy when physically touched or pressure is applied. The electrical signal 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.

To test the sensor patch, the authors applied the device to the back of the neck of a dummy that had accelerator-based sensors and a gyroscope inside the head. They then dropped the dummy from a suspended height of 61cm to simulate whiplash, and found that the sensor patch output had a strong positive correlation of 90% with results from the sensors inside the head.

Therefore, the authors concluded that their device can potentially be used to measure whiplash and could help detect concussion.

Reference: Dsouza, H., Pastrana, J., Figueroa, J. et al. Flexible, self-powered sensors for estimating human head kinematics relevant to concussions. Sci Rep 12, 8567 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-12266-6