Protolabs helps develop sensor for head injuries

Digital manufacturer Protolabs has announced that Tozuda is its latest Cool Idea Award winner.

Attached to sports helmets, the head impact sensors made by Tozuda change colour to bright red when they experience an impact potentially strong enough to cause a concussion.

Protolabs’ Cool Idea Award provides in-kind manufacturing services to support development of life changing products. Tozuda used Protolabs' moulding services to produce components for the sensor. With the help of Protolabs' engineering team, Tozuda was able to finalise its design and identify the right manufacturing process. 

Brian Peters, chief marketing officer at Protolabs, said: “Knowing that we’ve helped a company whose invention can help identify the kind of dangerous impacts that could cause long-term brain injuries is a great example of why the Cool Idea Award program exists. We look to grant the award to inventors and entrepreneurs who not only want to build a profitable business model, but also affect the lives of others in a meaningful way. Our on-demand manufacturing service is ideal for Tozuda’s merging of technical and design simplicity in a small footprint.”

Almost 4 million people will suffer from sports- and recreation- related concussions in the United States this year alone. Workers in industries that require protective headgear, such as construction, could use Tozuda, too.

Jessie Garcia, CEO & founder of Tozuda, said: “It was important to us that Tozuda be affordable. Young athletes and professionals in dangerous work situations deserve to know if their head injuries require a physician’s attention.”

Tozuda’s solution is mechanical, using a compressed spring and ball bearings that keeps dye tucked away in reservoirs. When an impact is of sufficient force, the spring and bearings dislodge and dye spills into a chamber, causing the device to turn red. When the colour changes, it indicates the possibility that a concussion has occurred and the user should be evaluated for potential traumatic brain injury (TBI). 

Tozuda’s sensor is a first-step indicator of damaging impact. While brain concussions are considered traumatic brain injuries, initially some people may not experience any symptoms at all. Tozuda provides a warning that the individual should seek medical attention to avoid secondary impacts that could worsen the injury. 

Protolabs used injection moulding to manufacture three parts for Tozuda. The cover is made from transparent polycarbonate plastic that makes the detection system clearly visible. The base, where the device attaches to a helmet is rugged ABS plastic. Between the two are critical internal components made from flexible liquid silicone rubber (LSR). These hold the spring and ball bearings in place, ensuring that the dye doesn’t leak unless jarred with a force that is sufficient to potentially cause a concussion.

Garcia added: “Protolabs was so easy to work with. We worked closely with the Protolabs team and received instant quotes. Most important was their ability to work with liquid silicone to make Tozuda in the exact color and material we wanted.”