Ohio State University Selects Athlete Intelligence as Head Impact Monitoring Partner

VECTOR MouthGuard Becomes Sensor of Choice for Ohio Youth Football Study

The Ohio State University School of Health & Rehabilitation has announced its decision to partner with Athlete Intelligence on an upcoming Ohio youth football study.  The study is led by Dr. Jaclyn Caccese, Ph.D., and will be focused on collecting head acceleration events in youth tackle football from players 8-12 years old.  Each participant in the study will wear the Athlete Intelligence VECTOR MouthGuard.

Dr. Caccese was first introduced to the Athlete Intelligence VECTOR MouthGuard when reviewing a published research paper from the CDC, which also selected the VECTOR MouthGuard to compare head impact exposure in youth tackle and flag football.

When asked why Athlete Intelligence and the VECTOR MouthGuard was selected, Dr. Caccese said it was due to the “published validation data and clear and honest communication with the Athlete Intelligence team.”

The VECTOR MouthGuard is unlike any other sports mouthguard.  Located in the small protrusion outside the mouth are small sensors that collect data on linear and rotational head accelerations.  The mouthguard itself uses an exclusive boil and bite Vistamaxx material that is known to have a comfort level superior to other mouthguards.  When an athlete puts the mouthguard in their mouth, a hidden capacitive sensing strip is activated to turn the mouthguard on.

“We’re thrilled to be working with the Ohio State University in an effort to make youth contact sports safer,” said Andrew Golden, Director of Business Operations for Athlete Intelligence.  “Typically when we work with research partners, the interest is primarily in the impact waveform data and peak acceleration exports.  This project really excited me since Coaches will be encouraged to use the platform and reports to improve technique fundamentals, which is the core of the Athlete Intelligence system,” Golden adds.

The VECTOR MouthGuard is the only real-time and live-impact transmitting mouthguard available that uses technology more advanced than standard Bluetooth.  Using a small receiver on the sideline, the VECTOR MouthGuard can transmit impacts instantly up to 300 yards in distance no matter where you are on the field.  Bluetooth has a general reach of 60 feet.

Following a session, Team Staff can access the Athlete Intelligence Web Platform analytics and receive pre-summarized reports directly to their inbox.  The reports are used to identify player and position impact workload trends and where critical technique adjustments must be made to remove the head from further contact.  The data collected from the VECTOR MouthGuard will help Coaches understand technique habits based on where impacts take place on a player’s helmet and how often those impacts occur.  This will assist coaches in correcting poor technique where young players may be conditioned to lowering their head and exposing the crown of their helmet.

Athlete Intelligence is quickly becoming the head impact monitoring and sensor technology partner of choice for youth programs nationwide.  The Randolph Youth Football League is one of those partners that fully embrace the technology as a coaching tool.  “When we first used the system, the number of crown impacts was shocking, especially with the front linemen,” said Lance Laing, Board Member for the Randolph Youth Football League.  “We immediately changed the way we practiced and spent even more time with the kids on proper technique.  Athlete Intelligence shows us who to watch so we can coach things we would have never seen.  Athlete Intelligence gives us the data we need to make better decisions,” Laing adds.

“Studies like what we will see with the Ohio State University are groundbreaking because you get to tie the research with Coachable Moments,” said Golden.  “If we know where and how many impacts our athletes take, we can reduce the number.  If we reduce the number, we keep our players safe.”

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About Athlete Intelligence

Athlete Intelligence is a head impact monitoring and sensor technology subscription service for sports teams.  We combine wearable technology with simplified data analytics to uncover key training opportunities to improve a player’s performance and head safety.  Athlete Intelligence offers head impact monitoring and sensor technology services to youth, high school, and college-level programs.