The Jolt Sensor is a brand new innovation, developed by students at MIT, that helps to alert athletes, parents, and coaches about concussions and potential head injuries.  It is in the form of a small clip that can be attached to any piece of sports equipment (ie a football helmet, a scrum cap, a headband, etc), is waterproof, and is completely rechargable through USB connection.  When an athlete's head accelerates in a potentially dangerous way, the device vibrates to alert them.  However, when head trauma is detected, an alert is sent to both parents and coaches on their phones through bluetooth with a range of over 100 yards.  An app is immediately launched with a cognitive test to help determine a concussion and it compares the results with other concussed athletes.

 

This product interested me because when I had a concussion caused by multiple blows to the head, it was one of the worst experiences of my life; I blacked out and then couldn't repeat simple phrases when I woke up.  For a technological advancement to save so many athletes from this situation and worse, it is worth more than you could ever imagine.  When fully distributed (which it looks like it is going to be April 2015), each unit will cost around $80.00.  A new unit called Shockbox with a similar mission could be competition, but the Jolt sensor is smaller and less noticeable during play.  For the future of young athletes everywhere, I hope that this technology would be a sustaining idea; saving a life for $80.00 is well worth the price tag.