Athlete invents mouthguard to detect concussions

Gonzales, a management entrepreneurship graduate student, and Bob Merriman founded Force Impact Technology and recently patented the FIT Guard, a mouthguard that visually displays the impact an athlete endures and indicates the probability of having a concussion.

The mouthpiece visually displays a color activated by LED lights that correlates to the likelihood that an athlete might have a concussion based on the impact.
After his experience with rugby, Gonzales wanted to create a product that would indicate when someone had a concussion, so they could receive medical attention instead of being sent back into the game.

Rugby players wear only mouthguards when competing and practicing. Gonzales wants to incorporate the technology into all sports that require a mouthguard.
“Since 47 percent of players with concussions do not report any defined symptoms, it was important for us to develop a solution, which publicly let others know that a player may be unfit to return to play,” he said.

ASU’s Great Little Company, a University-wide program overseen by the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Group, awarded Force Impact Technology with a $3,000 grant and mentorship through the process of getting the new business up and running.

“We won a business pitch competition at ASU for $5,000 dollars, and that was our 'ah-ha' moment, and we saw the idea become a company," Gonzales said. The company was created in 2013.

Gonzales said his company wants to become synonymous with the standard mouthguards in the sports industry and wants its technology to be the expectation of safety.
Nicole Wilke, a former athletic trainer at ASU who worked with club sports, said she thinks the product can be very helpful.

“I think their new business and the prototype they are making may help health care professionals to assess concussions in athletes,” she said.

More info: http://fitguard.me/

Adapted from: http://bit.ly/2p3rdEK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qGyg2teC_4