Army helmets to gather blast dataBy Tom Vanden Brook - USA TODAY
Posted : Wednesday Jan 2, 2008 17:23:06 EST
WASHINGTON — The Army is sending soldiers to Afghanistan with high-tech helmets to gather data on the effect of bomb blasts on their brains.
The Army’s Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier has outfitted the helmets of soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division with sensors to gauge the violent shaking that occurs when improvised explosive devices (IEDs) explode near them, said Brig. Gen. Mark Brown, who leads the office.
“It’s basically a computer chip in a helmet,” Brown said.
So far, 1,145 soldiers have received helmet sensors, according to Debi Dawson, a spokeswoman for PEO Soldier, which is charged with rapidly developing and fielding equipment needed for combat. Soldiers received the sensors last month and will deploy to Afghanistan in the spring.
The device, which will be checked every 30 days, can record 527 events ranging from being dropped on the ground to being blasted by a bomb. The sensor weighs 6 ounces, runs on a battery that can last six months and fits on the back of the helmet.
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