New football helmet helps detect concussions

(CNN) -  For years, the protocol for treating possible concussions on a football field has been this: After a player takes a hard hit to the head, a coach or trainer examines him to assess the severity of the impact and his readiness to return to the field.

But a visual inspection only reveals so much. What if there were data that could help detect concussions in real time?

Now there are. A wave of new technology, embedded in football helmets, aims to measure the force of on-field collisions and send alerts when a player's health may be in danger.

"We want to protect players as best we can," said Thad Ide, head of product development and management at Riddell, the United States' leading maker of football helmets, which has embraced these new head-impact systems.

"It's a way of keeping your players healthy. You can keep your star player healthy, and keep your star player playing more," he said. "That's the way I'd look at it if I was a coach."

Head injuries in football have become a hot-button issue in recent years, from youth leagues to the NFL. Thousands of former pro players -- many with dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and other brain disorders -- have sued the NFL, claiming the league knew about the long-term health risks associated with head trauma.

Riddell, whose helmets were worn by two-thirds of NFL players last season, was named as a defendant in many of these lawsuits.

Meanwhile, more parents are voicing concerns about letting their sons play football amid a study suggesting that high school athletes are more vulnerable to concussions than older players.

"Ten or 15 years ago concussions weren't thought of the same way as they are now," Ide said. "They're being taken much more seriously ... and not just shrugged off as 'being shook up' on the field."

Seeing an opportunity, manufacturers are producing a growing list of products marketed as "head impact sensors," small devices that fit inside the helmet and trigger a warning when a player sustains an especially hard blow. These products have names like Shockbox, Battle Sports' Impact Indicator and Reebok's CheckLight, and they're pitched as an extra set of eyes on the playing field.