Researchers are working on a high-tech neck patch to detect concussions in sport. 

A sensor patch worn on the back of the neck could one day help diagnose concussions during sporting matches, according to international researchers who developed a device that can detect whiplash at 90 per cent accuracy when tested on a crash dummy.

Collisions and non-collision accidents in contact sports can cause high speed neck movements that may lead to concussion.

There are already devices available to help predict concussion, such as accelerometer-based sensors that detect motion when placed in an athlete’s helmet. However, these devices are bulky and can give false readings when the helmet moves on the person’s head.

Researchers in the US have developed a new patch sensor using a film layer of thermoplastic material (known as a ferroelectret nanogenerator) that produces electrical energy when physically touched or pressure is applied. 

The electrical signal produced is proportional to the physical strain on the neck and can be used to estimate the acceleration and velocity of sudden neck movement, two important markers for predicting concussion.

To test the sensor patch, the authors applied the device to the back of the neck of a dummy that had accelerator-based sensors and a gyroscope inside the head.

The authors then dropped the dummy from a suspended height of 61cm to simulate whiplash, and found that the sensor patch output had a strong positive correlation of 90 per cent with results from the sensors inside the head. 

The researchers conclude that their device can potentially be used to measure whiplash and could be developed further to help detect concussion. Further testing in human athletes and sports players is now required.

More details are accessible here.