Head Sensors

I got this article from Babcock's update. Gunner got this installed in his kevlar a few weeks ago. He came home and showed me and told me to "blog this". Abbie told me the other day that I needed to "blog about the pillows that made her sick"--no idea why she thinks it was her pillow.

Raider Brigade Soldiers first to field new HEADS Sensors
New technology to make future helmets safer

Spc. David Hodge
1st BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div.
February 29, 2008

FORT HOOD, Texas – Soldiers of the 1st Brigade Combat Team will be among the first units of the 4th Infantry Division to receive the Head-born Energy Analysis and Diagnostic System Sensor and begin fielding the new technology while deployed to Baghdad. The sensor mounted inside the Army’s Advanced Combat Helmet will be worn by Raider Brigade Soldiers throughout their 15-month deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The technology surrounding the ballistic helmet is continually improved to lessen the trauma caused by cranial impacts that Soldiers face while operating on today’s battlefield, said Lt. Col. Rick Caya, executive officer, 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div. “The sensors help improve treatment of head injuries and development of next-generation combat helmets,” Caya said. The latest addition to the ACH will contribute to lessening the impact on Soldiers in the future, he added.

“The sensors provide the ability to help the U.S. Army improve a Soldier’s individual equipment system,” stated Caya, who hails from Waterloo, Iowa. “It’s a great opportunity to provide downrange feedback for the U.S. Army,” he said.

Although the sensors are not going to directly affect 1st BCT Soldiers during the deployment, the sensors will benefit future units by aiding researchers in developing better equipment and technology to assist Soldiers in combat, explained Caya. “If the Raider Brigade can help in that advancement process in any way, that would be great for Soldiers,” he added.

The six-ounce HEADS sensor is a small, undetectable piece of microchip technology surrounded by thin plastic composite that records traumatic disturbances to the helmet, said Caya. The HEADS sensor fits neatly under the crown pad of the ACH and contains a three-axis accelerometer and pressure sensor that detects sudden movements and percussion, explained Caya.

“We asked ourselves: ‘How can we make a better helmet to save the Soldier?” stated Steve Motoyama, the program manager for the company that designed the sensors. “The HEADS sensors will provide a good opportunity to make future helmets safer,” he added.

The 1st BCT is one of the first units in the U.S. Army to field the electronic technology in Iraq. These efforts ensure that future Soldiers remain the best equipped and best trained Soldiers in the world.