Our Science
Traumatic brain injury, including concussions, occurs in sporting activities when the head is subjected to sudden high magnitude acceleration due to an impact.
As reports of head injuries for 'contact sports' are increasing, sports personnel need more information about what is going on inside a player's head at the first sign of impact. i1 Biometrics is prioritizing its research and development efforts in areas surrounding both linear and rotational acceleration.
Linear acceleration occurs when the head experiences a change in speed while moving in a straight line, for example when an outfielder collides with the outfield wall while tracking a deep fly ball.
Rotational acceleration occurs when the head experiences a change in its rate of rotation, even if there is no straight-line motion. Since most sporting impacts include components of both linear and rotational acceleration, we made it our goal to create a measurement system that could capture all the elements relevant to brain injury.
We designed the i1 Biometrics Athlete Intelligence System with the Virtual Measurement System to provide high-accuracy measurements of all head motions, that may contribute to traumatic brain injury. Because the system is coupled to the skull, not the helmet, shoulder or chin strap, we are able to precisely measure linear acceleration and rotational acceleration in 3 dimensions.
* * *
The i1 Biometrics researchers understood the importance of using a material that would allow for a strong coupling to the upper jaw so that the Vector Mouthguard could produce an accurate measurement. The properties of Vistamaxx made it an excellent material for any mouthguard, but the precise fit made it a fundamental component of the Vector Mouthguard. Vistamaxx has been patented for mouthguard manufacturing and the rights to use the material are exclusive to i1Biometrics and its family of companies. Vistamaxx is also a braces-compatible product, so any athlete wearing braces can still wear the Vector Mouthguard.
