Nickel Nano-Particles in Football Helmet Foam Signals Potential Concussions in Real Time

It’s game day! You are sure to wear your favorite team’s jersey, set up for the perfect tailgate, and enjoy an afternoon of football. But do the players of  your favorite football team have on all of the equipment to protect them from the hard hits they will take on the field?

Currently, players are not fitted with equipment to help measure concussions they may experience from a hard hit. However, engineers at Brigham Young University have now created a smartfoam using nickel nano-particles which replaces the standard foam inside helmets and pads to more accurately measure the impact energy and velocity of hits taken by players within 90% accuracy. 

According to ScienceDaily, when the foam is compressed, nickel nano-particles rub against the foam, creating static electric charge which is collected through a conductive electrode in the foam, measured by a microcomputer, and transmitted to a computer or smart device. Using this information, officials can instantly determine whether or not a hit was hard enough to cause concern of a concussion.