FinalReport.pdf

Team Members

Brian Vickers, bpv2, ECE 120

Jane Folliard, janette2, ECE 120

Omar Taha, otaha2, ECE 120

Project Proposal

Introduction

Statement of Purpose

The primary goal of this project is to create a new way to monitor head impacts and provide a way to alert training staff of potential traumatic brain injuries. We will aim to create a headband prototype that can monitor such impact and be worn while playing a variety of sports. This project will be able to record and monitor drastic changes in velocity using a 3-axis accelerometer and transmit the data via an XBee chip, which will communicate with another XBee chip connected to a board that connects to a computer via USB. An LED located on the headband will light up if some threshold of acceleration is passed.

Background Research

Concussion awareness in high-impact sports like football has increased drastically over the last decade, but other sports like soccer and rugby have not seen the same level of awareness. High level head impacts that could lead to brain injury still occur in these other sports. Our headband would provide a way for non-helmet sports to monitor the impacts received by players. Concussion awareness is important to us because multiple group members have sustained concussions from sports other than football. Top football helmet manufacturers like Riddell have started to create helmets that will monitor head impacts, but this technology is not as prevalent in other sports. Our project would be versatile enough that is could be used by players in any sport. The threshold impact to cause a concussion is still heavily debated and under observation, but it seems any amount of force above roughly 60g can be dangerous. For this reason, we will use a high-g accelerometer to measure greater changes in velocity.

Design Details

Block Diagram

System Overview

The 3-axis accelerometer will measure data related to the change in velocity on the x, y, and z axes. This information will then be transmitted wirelessly from one XBee chip to the other. The second XBee chip will be attached to the XBee Explorer Dongle, which will transmit the data to a computer. Based on the data received, if it is determined that there was enough acceleration sustained to possible cause a concussion, the XBee on the dongle will then communicate back to the XBee on the headband and cause the LED to light up via some sort of logic gate.

Parts

• ADXL377 High-G 3-axis Accelerometer
• Arduino
• Small breadboard
• LED
• Quad 4-input AND gate DIP
• Quad Hex Inverter DIP

Possible Challenges

• Developing a way accurately determine if the amount of acceleration sustained is great enough to pose danger to the wearer
• Implementing a logic gate to control the LED

References

[1]"Most concussions deliver 95 g's, neuropsychologist says", ScienceDaily, 2016. [Online]. Available: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100624092526.htm. [Accessed: 26- Sep- 2016].

[2]M. Derewicz, "Where g-force and gray matter meet | endeavors", Endeavors.unc.edu, 2016. [Online]. Available: http://endeavors.unc.edu/spr2008/football_concussions.php. [Accessed: 26- Sep- 2016].