Wearable impact and health monitor wins Sudden Impact challenge

A wearable impact and health monitor was named the winner in the ‘Sudden Impact’ design competition, organised by the element14 Community.

As part of the challenge, 12 individuals from around the world competed to develop wearable health solutions that can detect and even prevent sports-related injuries.

The winning design, created by element14 member Cosmin Lorga of the US, features a main helmet unit that measures head impact, body temperature, tilt, global positioning and even brain activity. A separate electrocardiogram chest module measures heart rate, and both units provide data and alerts to an Android smartphone app. A real-time player monitoring system from Ravi Butani of India received runner-up honours.

The Sudden Impact competition is a part of the community’s ‘Engineering a Connected World’ initiative designed to drive innovation by connecting engineers to powerful new ideas, the latest technologies and to each other. As part of that initiative, element14 surveyed 3500 adults worldwide, and 68% agreed health care should be top priority in technology and innovation moving forward.

Cosmin’s project won the top prize — a Tektronix MD03104 Oscilloscope valued at $13,900, a MacBook Air and a Withings Home HD Sensor — for its diagnostic capabilities, portability and replicability. Ravi will take home a CEL-Robox 3D printer as the runner-up. Each completed solution was rigorously tested by researchers at the School of Computing, Creative Technologies and Engineering at Leeds Beckett University.

“Impact injuries have led to detrimental consequences for athletes all over the world and advancements in wearable systems and sensors are enabling engineers to develop creative solutions to this problem,” said Professor Reinhold Behringer of Leeds Beckett University.

Behringer and his team judged each project in categories that included: ambition and sophistication, set-up and installation, usability, measurements and cost-effectiveness.

The other projects that were tested included: a real-time coach and athlete monitoring system from Austin Horning in the US; a sudden impact helmet and uniform sensor system by Dragan Knezevic in Serbia; a helmet-mounted ski monitor from Hendrik Lipka in Germany; and a helmet-mounted trauma monitor and heart reactor by Douglas Wong in Canada.

To aid in their designs, all 12 participants receive a kit of advanced components from Analog Devices, a Tektronix oscilloscope, advanced polymers from Electrolube and a $675(AU) budget from element14 for additional parts and purchases. Each competitor who finished will receive a Withings Plus Sports Watch to monitor their activity, track sleep and improve overall health.