Smart mouthguard to be adopted by World Rugby to help spot head injuries

By Trevor Mogg October 10, 2023

Players in a rugby game. — Patrick Case/Pexels

Rugby is a highly physical sport in which little protective gear is worn, so players feel the full force of every impact.

One device that some players do wear is a mouthguard, which protects players from mouth lacerations and tooth damage.

In a move to increase the safety of the sport, rugby union’s world governing body, World Rugby, has announced that it will start using mouthguards fitted with smart technology that’s capable of detecting high levels of acceleration and head impacts in real time.

Data from the smart mouthguards will be sent immediately to pitch-side doctors, enabling quick decisions to be made about whether a player needs to be taken off for detailed checks following a heavy impact during a game.

World Rugby’s interest in the mouthguard grew after research in ice hockey found that as well as protecting against dental injuries, the mouthguards also reduced the risk of concussion by 20%.

The new technology will be debuted later this month in the professional women’s WXV international rugby competition.

World Rugby is making an initial investment of 2 million euros (about $2.12 million) to support rugby unions, competitions, and clubs to pave the way for wide adoption of the new smart mouthguard technology, which is supplied by Prevent Biometrics. The U.S. company has been developing the mouthguard for many years, and so its adoption by World Rugby is a notable development.

Dr Eanna Falvey, chief medical officer of World Rugby, said: “The latest scientific research and expert opinion is telling us one thing — reduce the forces players experience on their heads at all levels of the game. That is exactly what we’re doing.”

Falvey added: “The advances in smart mouthguard technology mean elite players will be better cared for than ever before. We are taking smart mouthguards out of the realm of medical research and putting them into the world of everyday performance management to continue to manage player welfare in the best way possible.”

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Tech News

Contributing Editor

Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…

Mobile

Motorola just launched a new Android phone to take on the Google Pixel 8a

A render of the front and back of the Moto G Stylus 5G (2024).

If you have your heart set on a phone with a stylus, you’re probably familiar with Samsung devices like the Galaxy S24 Ultra and the previous Galaxy S23 Ultra. But there is another company out there that ships phones with a stylus — Motorola. Unlike Samsung’s flagship, the new Moto G Stylus 5G (2024) won’t break the bank thanks to its $400 starting price in the U.S.

The Moto G Stylus 5G (2024) is the latest in a series of midrange stylus-equipped phones that Motorola started releasing in 2020. The latest model keeps up with its predecessors with solid midrange capabilities and, as the name indicates, support for 5G.

Mobile

The Google Pixel 8a’s 6 biggest upgrades over the Pixel 7a

The Google Pixel 8a has just launched, and it comes with many upgrades that Pixel fans have been hoping for. These include some attractive new design flourishes, beefed-up hardware, a longer-lasting battery, and a higher-end display. You also get all the software features that make the Pixel series so appealing, including seven years of OS and security updates and Gemini Nano for more AI features.

But how does all of this compare to the already great Pixel 7a? Here’s a breakdown of the Google Pixel 8a’s six biggest upgrades over the Pixel 7a. For a closer look at all of the differences between the two phones, see our Pixel 8a vs. Pixel 7a comparison.
The Tensor G3 chip

Computing

Intel’s next-gen desktop chips may embrace these two major changes

Intel Core i5-14600K processor inside its socket.

Intel Arrow Lake is said to be coming out later this year, but the leaks have been scarce -- until today. According to Benchlife, Intel is readying 13 new processors, but forget any mentions of a 15th-gen CPU -- these chips all follow Intel's new branding and will be dubbed the Intel Core Ultra 200 series. That’s the first big change. What else is new, other than the name? If Benchlife is correct, the loss of hyperthreading will be the other notable difference.

Arrow Lake CPUs will be the first desktop generation to follow Intel's new naming scheme, and thus, the first under the new Core Ultra umbrella. Meteor Lake paved the way, but those are laptop chips, whereas Arrow Lake processors are coming to desktops. This includes the Core Ultra 200 K-series, which encompasses the unlocked versions of CPUs that have a processor base power (PBP) of 125 watts, as well as the locked Core Ultra 200 non-K variant that maxes out at 65 watts.