Helmets gather data on blast effect to brain

[CommunityEditor]

The Army is sending soldiers to Afghanistan with high-tech helmets to gather data on the effect of bomb blasts on their brains.

The Army’s Program Executive Office Soldier has outfitted the helmets of soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division with sensors to gauge the violent shaking that occurs when improvised explosive devices explode near them, said Brig. Gen. Mark Brown, who leads the office.

“It’s basically a computer chip in a helmet,” Brown said.

So far, 1,145 soldiers have received helmet sensors, according to Debi Dawson, a spokeswoman for PEO Soldier, which is charged with rapidly developing and fielding equipment needed for combat. Soldiers received the sensors last month and will deploy to Afghanistan in the spring.

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.

IEDs are the top cause of brain injuries for U.S. troops. They account for almost 80 percent of all wounds and are responsible for 60 percent of those killed.

To better protect troops from IED blasts, the Pentagon set the fielding of new armored vehicles as its top priority in May. Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, which have a raised chassis and V-shaped bottom, deflect the force of roadside bombs.

Troops near IED explosions can suffer perforated eardrums, ringing in the ears, blurred vision, memory lapses and headaches. Congress authorized $150 million for brain injury research in an emergency spending bill passed in May for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Soldiers often return to combat after initially recovering from a concussion, or a bruising of the brain. Recent research shows that such blasts can cause damage deep inside the brain, and the symptoms may remain hidden for years.

“When medical science does mature, they’ll already have a big baseline of data,” Brown said of the information that will be collected from the helmet sensors.


Article: http://www.militarytimes.com/news/20...elmets_080102/