The Dynamics of Concussion: Helmet Performance Assessment, Real-time Monitoring and Intelligent Diagnostics

拟议的研究计划汇集了我在冲击动力学，惯性导航，生命体征监测，智能诊断系统，头部撞击和创伤性脑损伤（TBI），特别是脑震荡研究的关键领域。脑震荡，也被称为轻度创伤性脑损伤（mTBI），是足球和曲棍球等接触性运动中最常见的TBI形式，使运动相关脑震荡约占北美每年发生的脑损伤总数的20%。然而，这是一个常见的问题，在老年人跌倒，车祸，军队，第一反应者以及建筑和采矿部门。尽管它是一个主要的心理健康问题，但直到最近才进入公众意识的中心阶段。我在2009年建立的头部伤害预防实验室（HIP），在需要使用者戴头盔的活动中，对减少头部伤害进行了开创性的研究。我们的努力已经取得了六项加拿大和国际专利，导致SFU创业公司Shield-X Technology Inc.商业化，2014年来自SFU和加拿大和美国的八支高中足球队的测试结果证实，这项技术将提高头盔的性能，显著减少报告的脑震荡数量（例如，SFU足球队从2014赛季的平均每年14例报告病例增加到4例）。随着这项技术的成功商业化，我们的下一个研究任务是解决量化脑震荡动态的研究挑战。为此，我将从头盔性能评估、实时监控和智能诊断开始。在接下来的五年里，我的研究计划重点是：1）基于各种头盔的实验室测试，建立针对线性和旋转冲击的加拿大头盔评级系统2）利用实时监测传感器套件识别脑震荡3）定义针对不同头盔的头部损伤和脑震荡的旋转冲击阈值4）实现具有内置-在智能显示影响的位置和造成的力量大小，以更好地评估脑震荡阈值建议的研究计划利用我的专业知识，在冲击动力学，非线性动力学，惯性导航，传感器和智能诊断系统。由于脑震荡和头部损伤的研究需要医学专业知识，我也受益于与Shield-X Technology的首席技术官丹尼尔·艾布拉姆博士、我所在部门的心理健康研究主席法拉纳克·法尔赞博士和菲利普·A.位于温哥华的脑震荡治疗诊所"神经动力学“的管理医师苏韦斯特说。拟议的研究将赞助三个HQP（两个博士学位）。学生，一个MASc的学生，和三个合作学生每年）谁将解决项目的不同方面。

The proposed research program brings together my key areas of research on impact dynamics, inertial navigation, vital signs monitoring, intelligent diagnostic systems, and head impact and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), in particular, concussion. Concussion, also known as mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI), is the most common form of TBI in contact sports such as football and hockey, making Sports-related concussion about 20% of the total number of brain injuries that occurs each year in North America. However, it is a common problem witnessed in the elderly falling, car accidents, the military, the first responders and the construction and mining sectors. Despite it being a major mental health issue, it has only recently entered into the public awareness center stage. The Head Injury Prevention lab (HIP), which I established in 2009, has made pioneering studies on reduction of head injury during an impact in activities that require the user to wear a helmet. Our efforts have resulted in six Canadian and international patents, leading to the commercialization of an SFU startup company, Shield-X Technology Inc., in 2014. Test results from SFU and eight high school football teams across Canada and the US with close to 500 participants have confirmed that this technology, would enhance helmet performance, to reduce the number of reported concussions significantly (e.g., SFU football team went from an annual average of fourteen reported cases to four in its 2014 season). With the successful commercialization of this technology, our next research task is to address the research challenges in quantifying the dynamics of a concussion. To do so, I will start by helmet performance assessment, real-time monitoring, and intelligent diagnostics. In the next five years, my research program focuses on: 1) Establishing a Canadian helmet rating system for both linear and rotational impacts based on experimental lab tests of various helmets 2) Identifying concussion utilizing a real-time monitoring sensor suite 3) Defining rotational impact thresholds for the head injury and concussion for different helmets 4) Arriving at a wearable sensor suite with built-in intelligence showing impact location and the causing force magnitude to better assess the concussion thresholds  The proposed research program utilizes my expertise in impact dynamics, nonlinear dynamics, inertial navigation, sensors, and intelligent diagnostic systems. Since concussion and head injury research require medical expertise, I am also benefitting from close collaboration with Dr. Daniel Abram, CTO of Shield-X Technology, Dr. Faranak Farzan, a research chair on mental health at my department, and Dr. Philippe A. Souvestre, managing physician at the Neurokinetics, a Vancouver based concussion treatment clinic. The proposed research will sponsor three HQPs (two Ph.D. students, one MASc student, and three coop students per year) who will address different aspects of the project.