Reebok Develops Futuristic 'Smart Cap' To Protect Athletes From Brain Damage
The "Checklight" has a light panel both on the side and on the back of the head that lights up either yellow or red to indicate the severity of a hit to the head. A yellow flashing light indicates a moderate hit while a red light signifies a severe hit.
The cap fits inside a players' helmet with the light on the back of the head exposed so medical staff, coaches, or referees can see the level of impact to a player's head during gameplay. This will allow coaches to pull players from a game to prevent further injury and diagnose if a player has a concussion.
While this smart cap indicates the impact of head injuries it does not identify if a player has sustained a concussion. Reebok printed the following on the product label:
"*CHECKLIGHT™ is not a concussion diagnostic tool - it provides an objective measurement of impact force and is designed to lead athletes on a pathway to assessment"
A Canton-based store is launching the "Checklight" at $149 dollars . The average skull cap for football players is only $15 dollars but the functionality is completely different from a normal skull cap. Parents like current Colts quarterback Matt Hasselbeck are expected to be the main supporters especially for youth football,
Colts backup quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said this product is ideal for youth sports:
"I've got kids who are playing football this year where it's not a business. One thing I say to parents is that you can't see every play. Even though there's a coach out there, they're not watching your kid every single play. The Checklight is an extra set of eyes for you on your child. The lights are in a spot where anyone can see it."
But he doesn't think it's good for the NFL:
"I don't feel like the need is as strong at the NFL because you have so many people looking and watching and observing."
The head monitoring device can be seen in action in this video: