World Rugby To Introduce Smart Mouthguards To Detect Player Concussions 35
In an analysis piece for The Guardian, Sean Ingle discusses some of the smart technology and artificial intelligence being used in sports to fight against brain injuries. From the report: There was a hidden spectator of the NFL match between the Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans in London on Sunday: artificial intelligence. As crazy as it may sound, computers have now been taught to identify on-field head impacts in the NFL automatically, using multiple video angles and machine learning. So a process that would take 12 hours -- for each game -- is now done in minutes. The result? After every weekend, teams are sent a breakdown of which players got hit, and how often.
This tech wizardry, naturally, has a deeper purpose. Over breakfast the NFL's chief medical officer, Allen Sills, explained how it was helping to reduce head impacts, and drive equipment innovation. Players who experience high numbers can, for instance, be taught better techniques. Meanwhile, nine NFL quarterbacks and 17 offensive linemen are wearing position-specific helmets, which have significantly more padding in the areas where they experience more impacts. What may be next? Getting accurate sensors in helmets, so the force of each tackle can also be estimated, is one area of interest. As is using biomarkers, such as saliva and blood, to better understand when to bring injured players back to action.
If that's not impressive enough, this weekend rugby union became the first sport to adopt smart mouthguard technology, which flags big "hits" in real time. From January, whenever an elite player experiences an impact in a tackle or ruck that exceeds a certain threshold, they will automatically be taken off for a head injury assessment by a doctor. No wonder Dr Eanna Falvey, World Rugby's chief medical officer, calls it a "gamechanger" in potentially identifying many of the 18% of concussions that now come to light only after a match.
This tech wizardry, naturally, has a deeper purpose. Over breakfast the NFL's chief medical officer, Allen Sills, explained how it was helping to reduce head impacts, and drive equipment innovation. Players who experience high numbers can, for instance, be taught better techniques. Meanwhile, nine NFL quarterbacks and 17 offensive linemen are wearing position-specific helmets, which have significantly more padding in the areas where they experience more impacts. What may be next? Getting accurate sensors in helmets, so the force of each tackle can also be estimated, is one area of interest. As is using biomarkers, such as saliva and blood, to better understand when to bring injured players back to action.
If that's not impressive enough, this weekend rugby union became the first sport to adopt smart mouthguard technology, which flags big "hits" in real time. From January, whenever an elite player experiences an impact in a tackle or ruck that exceeds a certain threshold, they will automatically be taken off for a head injury assessment by a doctor. No wonder Dr Eanna Falvey, World Rugby's chief medical officer, calls it a "gamechanger" in potentially identifying many of the 18% of concussions that now come to light only after a match.
does that count as an substitution? can the player (Score:2)
does that count as an substitution? can the player come back?
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The mouthguards will supply merely another set of data to trigger the HIA; right now, even television match officials routinely call down for an impact to be reviewed, so it's not like you should expect a huge number of new HIA's. World Rugby is extremely focused on player safety- you s
Just stop the head smashing already. (Score:3, Interesting)
Either go grappling a la judo, or smack a ball instead of your head.
Sports where smashing heads and cracking spines is a way of life have outlived their use-by date.
You aren't the Hulk. None of us are.
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Hamas and Likud could use some "Calcio Storico"[1] or 1980s rugby to settle their bullshit.
Team sports are fun, games with a challenge and a chase are fun, games with stakes are fun. Theories exist that it is a good substitute for actual war, though the existence of gangs and wars counters that.
If we are at a point where they can point a video at someone and ML can instantly flag it to say "Yeah that's some TBI, give it a rest" then go for it.
I, for one, did not need a doctor to tell me to stop playing rugb
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While maybe sports did develop as a substitute for war, I think it more probable that it developed within tribes/families as practice or exercise to prep war. I mean, watch lion cubs.
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Yep. A riskless life is a funless life, but choosing to participate in a sport that causes incremental brain damage is a choice that baffles me. Doubly so when parents are choosing it for their kids.
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choosing to participate in a sport that causes incremental brain damage is a choice that baffles me
I’m sure it all makes sense once the brain damage sets in.
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I played rugby at school and I never saw anyone get anything worse than a bruise or two. 99% of people who play amateur sports have a well developed sense of self preservation.
When playing it for money where your career and income may depend on the result that might not apply of course.
Re: Just stop the head smashing already. (Score:4, Interesting)
Theyâ(TM)re not allowed to use their heads in this way in rugby. Itâ(TM)s a fast physical game though and accidents happen. It can be common though: this past weekend in the World Cup, I saw a South African player sent to the sin bin for head-on-head (the review while he was there determined that at 6'9" he was too tall to get himself any lower in the tackle, despite trying) and a Fijian accidentally clash with an English player, causing lots of blood (he carried on playing). Itâ(TM)s not deliberate and it.s prohibited for safety reasons.
As they say: football (soccer) is 90 minutes of pretending to be hurt. Rugby is 80 minutes of pretending not to be hurt.
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Never the less, it's just a fact that in Rugby head injuries are not uncommon. Can they change the rules to reduce the frequency of such injuries?
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Maybe not enough that I'll be disappointed that my son won't ever be a heavy enough build to play the game ;). I'm also grateful that he won't be heading footballs much either.
The lawsuits coming out of all the cases of early onset dementia are the best bet for them finding a way to improve this aspect of the game. It's hard to imagine that they can completely eliminate the risk though given the physicality and speed of the game, but they certainly need to make improvements beyond the ones they've already
Re: Just stop the head smashing already. (Score:2)
Eben Etzebeth, the world-class lock you were referencing, is literally a foot taller and 75 points heavier than the player most currently consider to be the best in the game.
Re: Just stop the head smashing already. (Score:2)
Youâ(TM)re joking, right? You absolutely have to be physical enough to play rugby. I know from experience: I went to a secondary school that did rugby and no football, until at least sixth form (16+). By the time in was 18, I was 6'1" and 115 lbs; this is not suitable for rugby. Itâ(TM)s not that Iâ(TM)m unauthentic: field hockey I was good at, I was still running 42 minute 10ks in my mid 40s and I fenced epee for my school as well as representing multiple universities.
Iâ(TM)m not act
Re: Just stop the head smashing already. (Score:2)
Fucking autocorrect: s/unauthentic/unathletic/g
Re: Just stop the head smashing already. (Score:2)
Did you happen to notice Gael Fickou in the game you're referencing? You know, the 6'1" 185 lb guy who starts for one of the best squads on the planet. Makes me wonder if you ever fenced or if that's just a lie too.
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Haha, that's a great saying. Not a soccer person so someone explained to me that any time a collision happens, both plays lay there and fake it for a while. The whole time apparently the clock gets to run. This is apparently why the refs can add minutes to a game.
That's roughly the explanation I was given when I complained about not understanding why they could add MINUTES back onto the clock. Like, wait, time management is a big part of NFL but obviously not in soccer.
Smart mouthguard (Score:5, Funny)
Can't they make one for politicians?
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How about the dumb fucks who vote them in office?
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How about the dumb fucks who vote them in office?
And who should people vote into office? Braindamage 1, Braindamage 2, or abstain from voting resulting in one of the two people getting into office anyway?
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Ever heard of a 'write-in'?
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Can't they make one for politicians?
Why waste money on detecting something we already know?
Seatbelts And Speedbumps (Score:1)
Should help. How many people will be hurt before we act?! Vote Now!
No, no, no. Interpret this properly. (Score:2)
That's the true face of AI. If AI identifies a corner case where increasing brain injuries would reduce owner liability, it will encourage it.
auto drive AI says it costs less to kill some one (Score:2)
auto drive AI says it costs less to kill some one vs injury. So we back up and drive over that person again
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They're not analyzing for brain injuries. They're analyzing for the cost to team owners of brain injuries.
Take the number of impacts on the field, A, multiply by the probable rate of injury, B, multiply by the average out-of-court settlement, C. A times B times C equals X. If X is less than the cost the owners are comfortably profitable we don’t do safety. -Football Club
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In Other News... (Score:2)
OpenAI To Introduce Smart-Mouth Guards To Detect Jailbreak Conversations
Wot? (Score:2)
Hey, I thought rugby players were _tough_ !!!