Monday, January 7, 2008

Monitoring Traumatic Brain Injuries in GI Joes

Filed under: Military Medicine

Uncle Sam wants You! ...to wear a helmet so he can measure and record the blows you take to the old noggin. This appears similar to the technology now embedded in new football helmets from Riddell that we wrote about two weeks ago.

The device, which will be checked every 30 days, can record 527 events ranging from being dropped on the ground to being blasted by a bomb. The sensor weighs 6 ounces, runs on a battery that can last six months and fits on the back of the helmet.

To better measure the causes and effects of traumatic brain injury, the Army wants to establish data on what happens to a soldier's head during an IED blast. The sensor will measure the violent pulse of air after an explosion. Energy from this wave, known as overpressure, courses through the body, damaging brain cells and other organs.

The helmet device also will measure acceleration, the jolt soldiers receive from the explosion. It is one of the primary causes of death from an IED because it can snap the neck. The data will be downloaded to establish a database on the effects of blasts. The information will be studied by medical researchers and used to develop safer helmets.


Video from the Army showing off the device...

More at Wired...

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Hello Friend,
I am interested in providing encouragement to our veterans and the soldiers who have been wounded while protecting our great country. Additionally, I am interested in providing practical information and insight to assist their families. My name is Craig J. Phillips. I am an alumnus of Oral Robert�s University Class of 1985, an alumnus of the University of Kentucky, graduate program in Rehabilitation Counseling Class of 1990, and a traumatic brain injury survivor. I sustained an open skull fracture with right frontal lobe damage and remained in a coma for 3 weeks at the age of 10 in August of 1967. I underwent brain and skull surgery after waking from the coma. Follow-up cognitive and psyche / social testing revealed that I would not be able to succeed academically beyond high school. In 1967 Neurological Rehabilitation was not available to me, so I had to teach myself how to walk, talk, read, write and speak in complete sentences. I completed high school on time and went on to obtain both my undergraduate and graduate degrees. For an in depth view of my process please read my post, http://secondchancetolive.wordpress.com/2007/02/18/my-journey-thus-far/

Through out my lifetime I developed strategies to overcome many obstacles and in so doing I have achieved far beyond all reasonable expectations. On February 6, 2007 at the encouragement of a friend I created Second Chance to Live. Second Chance to Live, which is located at http://secondchancetolive.wordpress.com presents topics in such a way to encourage, motivate and empower the reader to live life on life�s terms. I believe our circumstances are not meant to keep us down, but to build us up. As a traumatic brain injury survivor, I speak from my experience, strength and hope. As a professional, I provide information to encourage, motivate and empower both disabled and non-disabled individuals to not give up on their process. Please read my post, http://secondchancetolive.wordpress.com/2007/04/18/the-power-of-identification/ My interest is to provide encouragement, hope, motivation and empowerment to survivors and their families.

Please encourage your readers to visit Second Chance to Live at http://secondchancetolive.wordpress.com and consider adding Second Chance to Live to your web site as a useful resource and placing a notice in your newsletter.

Thank you for your time and kindness.

Have a simply phenomenal day!

Craig J. Phillips MRC, BA
Second Chance to Live

Our circumstances are not meant to keep us down, but to build us up!

Note: I recently found out that Second Chance to Live has been published by the European Brain Injury Society E.B.I.S. with in their Autumn 2007 Newsletter http://www.ebissociety.org/automn/newsletter-angl.htm in both French and English. Specifically, My Journey thus Far has been printed. I am encouraged by the growing global interest of the material presented in Second Chance to Live and wanted to share the good news with you.

I am available for speaking engagements, conferences and seminars. My message is to encourage the faint hearted, to hold up the arms of the weary and to empower people to dream again. By the way, I am available for speaking engagements, conferences and seminars. My message is to encourage the faint hearted, to hold up the arms of the weary and to empower people to dream again. In the event that you know of groups, churches or organizations that could benefit from my experience, strength and hope please let them know about Second Chance to Live. Thank you!


Posted by: Craig J. Phillips MRC, BA
on January 13, 2008 10:01 AM GMT

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