Skip to main content

Football helmet monitor analyzes head impact data for smarter, safer play

Riddell InSite Training Tool

Protective sports equipment developer Riddell recently introduced its Insite Training Tool (ITT), a football helmet impact data analysis system built to protect players with individualized training aimed at lessening the risk of concussions.

ITT rounds out Riddell’s existing InSite impact-monitoring system. Previously, the Insite system had three elements: smart helmets worn by players, handheld Head Impact Exposure (HIE) monitors used by coaching staff, and a web-based data collection platform that produces player profiles.

Related Videos
Riddell InSite Training Tool

Here’s how the Insite system works:

The smart helmets can detect and quantify impact intensity in five different zones or areas of the helmet. If a player has a single head impact or a number of impacts that exceed preset thresholds, the helmet sends an alert to the staff’s handheld monitors.

The monitors collectively send the data to the web platform every five minutes during practices or games. The Insite software creates and updates individual impact profiles for each player based on the transmitted data.

The Insite Training Tool takes the next big step in the process beyond compiling data to create player profiles. Using data from more than 5 million impacts analyzed by the Insite software in the past 10 years, the ITT component creates reports featuring practice plans and training techniques. The overall purpose of the data-derived reports is to lessen the danger of head impacts and decrease concussions by changing the individual player’s game behavior.

The Insite system is only sold to youth, high school, and college football teams. Team staff members can use the ITT-derived plans to create individualized instruction and training.

“This is an exciting innovation that creates a first-time opportunity for programs at all levels to take a data-driven approach toward reducing exposure to head impacts,” said Thad Ide, Riddell’s senior vice president of research and product development. “The ability to track head-impact exposure for a team provides a coaching tool to help better evaluate how effective they are in limiting unnecessary player contact during practices and games.”

Colgate University’s football coaches implemented Riddell’s ITT in 2018 spring practices. “The InSite Training Tool revolutionizes how we view practice and paves the way for coaches and players to create a smarter, more intelligent game,” said Colgate head football coach Dan Hunt.

InSite Training Tool in Action at Colgate University

“The capability to influence how our athletes train and the ability to systematically assess our performance is a clear advantage over other programs,” Hunt continued. “It adds more depth and substance to our player protection and evaluation processes.”

Editors' Recommendations

Check out the first-ever roller coaster on a cruise ship
check out the first ever roller coaster on a cruise ship bolt  mardi gras

Taking a roller-coaster ride right after a big lunch is always a brave move, with those endless twists and turns risking an unwelcome second look at your recently consumed meal.

Florida-based Carnival Cruise Line, however, clearly wants to push things to the limit, having built what it claims is the first-ever roller coaster on a cruise ship.

Read more
Bottle+ creates sparkling water on the go with the push of a button
Bottle+ mounted on docking station on marble counter.

A new Kickstarter project promises to keep your water bubbly for longer, while also cutting plastic waste from your daily beverage routine. Bottle+ incorporates a refillable CO2 canister in its base that can produce roughly 15 bottles of carbonated goodness before needing a top-up at its home docking station. A press of the button lets you carbonate to your preference.

Beyond the purported long-term environmental benefits of owning a Bottle+, the Swiss designers are making pledges at the production end, too. They say packaging will be recyclable and kept to a minimum. Factories will also be monitored to meet environmental regulations and social equity standards. To top it all off, Bottle+ has partnered with Cleanhub to collect 1 kilogram of plastic waste for every bottle sold.

Read more
GoSun’s new portable power stations use the sun’s ray to charge devices
gosun new portable power stations gets you through outages power550 hero

GoSun's diverse lineup of solar-friendly products is expanding this week with two new portable power stations. The GoSun Power 550 and Power 1,100 are high-capacity batteries designed to help keep your appliances running when off the grid, whether that's due to an outage or being on a camping trip. Much like its other eco-friendly devices, these portable power stations can be charged using solar panels.

These portable power stations have plenty of power output options, including a 600-watt AC, a 1,000W AC, USB-A with QuickCharge 3.0, two 5V 2.4A USB-A plugs, a 60W USB-C plug, and a 12.3V DC. For charging, they use a 12-24V adapter, 18-24V input for solar, or 12V if you're charging it from the car.  Both AC outlets are pure sine wave, meaning your electronics get a more consistent feed of power. That's good news for your phones and laptops. It also has a Maximum Power Point Controller (MPPT) built-in, which helps to optimize the gain from solar panels. Other batteries lose a lot of efficiency on this front.

Read more