“Smart Helmets” Are Now Being Purchased by Football Teams

Local coaches have joined with others across the country to take steps to protect youngsters who play football. The primary concern is for head injuries.

New technology has emerged to try to make athletes safer, but it's not in use across the country. But Liberty Christian High School has installed sensors in all Varsity and Junior Varsity helmets. These sensors keep records of how hard a player is hit and it also records the force of the hit. Head Coach Barton Hundley says the sensors will allow his staff to better monitor for concussions and treat each injured athlete.  "We are trying to take care of these young men with the best technology and trying to pursue all avenues to keep them healthy," said Hundley.

Dr. Chad Stephens is a specialist on concussions and he says the device picks up where communication or symptoms may fail.  "This allows us to hone into a specific person and watch their statistics so when we see anything that seems out of the ordinary, we can immediately evaluate them," said Stephens. There are several different companies marketing concussion sensors and "smart" helmets to high schools.

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