An Instrumented Mouthguard for Real-Time Measurement of Head Kinematics under a Large Range of Sport Specific Accelerations

Chris M. Jones, Kieran Austin, Simon Augustus, Kieran Jai Nicholas, Xiancheng Yu, Claire Baker, Emily Yik Kwan Chan, Mike Loosemore, Mazdak Ghajari

Sensors, 2023

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Head impacts in sports can produce brain injuries. The accurate quantification of head kinematics through instrumented mouthguards (iMG) can help identify underlying brain motion during injurious impacts. The aim of the current study is to assess the validity of an iMG across a large range of linear and rotational accelerations to allow for on-field head impact monitoring. METHODS: Drop tests of an instrumented helmeted anthropometric testing device (ATD) were performed across a range of impact magnitudes and locations, with iMG measures collected concurrently. ATD and iMG kinematics were also fed forward to high-fidelity brain models to predict maximal principal strain. RESULTS: and 11.3-41.5 rad/s) and durations (6-18 ms), representing impacts in rugby and boxing. Comparison of the peak values across ATD and iMG indicated high levels of agreement, with a total concordance correlation coefficient of 0.97 for peak impact kinematics and 0.97 for predicted brain strain. We also found good agreement between iMG and ATD measured time-series kinematic data, with the highest normalized root mean squared error for rotational velocity (5.47 ± 2.61%) and the lowest for…

Cite as (BibTeX)

@article{jones-2023-an-instrumented-mouthguard-for,
  title={An Instrumented Mouthguard for Real-Time Measurement of Head Kinematics under a Large Range of Sport Specific Accelerations},
  author={Chris M. Jones and Kieran Austin and Simon Augustus and Kieran Jai Nicholas and Xiancheng Yu and Claire Baker and Emily Yik Kwan Chan and Mike Loosemore and Mazdak Ghajari},
  journal={Sensors},
  year={2023},
  doi={10.3390/s23167068}
}