Body armor sensors detect if US soldiers have been exposed to a harmful blast and are at risk of brain damage
- A trio of sensors will detect if a soldier is involved in a harmful blast
- Many times, soldiers are injuries and do not show symptoms from the event
- The gauges measure the blast overpressure wave of the explosion
- They then light up to notify the soldier if they need medical attention
US military body armor will soon be fitted with sensors capable of detecting if the soldier has been exposed to a potentially harmful blast.
Each service member receives three gauges, one for the helmet, chest and shoulder, which light up to indicate if the wearer needs medical attention.
The sensors are designed to measure the blast overpressure wave, which is done in pounds per square inch (PSI) – one to four PSI is green, four to sixteen is yellow, and greater than sixteen is red.
Approximately 58 military units with 12 to 36 service personal have been given a total of 4,408 sets of B3G7 sensors (BlackBox Biometrics 7th generation blast gauges), Business Insider reported.
The program was developed in response to the January Iranian missile attack on the US in Iraq that left 110 US troops with mild traumatic brain injuries, however, initial reporters determined there were no injuries.
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US military body armor will soon be fitted with sensors capable of detecting if the soldier has been exposed to a potentially harmful blast
Officials have been working on this project for about 20 months and is testing the technology a s part of the Combat in training Queryable exposure/Event Repository (CONQUER) program.
Kathy Lee, the special assistant for TBI matters for the assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, told reporters Wednesday: ‘What these blast gauges read is the blast overpressure wave, which is measured in pounds per square inch or PSI.’
‘So, we’re getting PSI values from three different places on wearable sensors that the service member has.’
Blast pressure is the pressure caused by a shock wave, which is created from a sonic boom or explosion.
The sensors have three different alerts that light up after an explosive event – green, yellow and red.
Each service member receives three gauges, one for the helmet, chest and shoulder, which light up to indicate if the wearer has been involved in an incident
The sensors are designed to measure the blast overpressure wave, which is measured in pounds per square inch (PSI) – one to four PSI is green, four to sixteen is yellow, and greater than sixteen is red
When a soldier finds themselves involved in a blast the sensors will indicate if they may have been harmed in anyway.
One to four PSI is green, four to sixteen is yellow, and greater than sixteen is red.
The sensor, which is wireless, is charge via a small USB port and encased in an impact resistant casing.
Joseph Ludovici, the principal director for military community and family policy, told reporters at the Pentagon recently: ‘It’s three sensors that you can wear under your body armor that will detect whether you were exposed to a blast event.’
He continued to explain that symptoms are not always immediately presented, ‘if your tracker shows that you were exposed to a blast event, then we’re going ahead and evaluating those folks to see whether they have traumatic brain injury.’
The program was developed in response to the January Iranian missile attack on the US in Iraq that left 110 US troops with mild traumatic brain injuries, however, initial reporters determined there were no injuries (pictured)
The sensors are still in the testing phase, which is currently being conducted in a training environment.
Military officials are also testing the technology to evaluate the impact of certain weapons and munitions.
However, they expect to begin using the sensors in operational environments in the next 18 to 24 months.