UCLA football testing helmets with sensors that measure hits to head

Published Jun. 19, 2015 9:13 p.m. ET

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Members of the UCLA football program have begun wearing helmets with sensors that gauge hits to the head.

As schools and professional teams become more cautious when it comes to trauma to the head, UCLA has clearly decided to be proactive instead of reactive.

"It measures the multitude of forces, it inputs all the data, and comes up with a picture of where the actual impact occurs," said Max Zeiger, clinic and research coordinator at UCLA.

UCLA isn't alone in this venture, either. The University of North Carolina and Virginia Tech also have implemented the new technology.

New York Giants co-owner John Tisch is behind the funding for this project, donating roughly $100,000. This comes a little over a year after Tisch donated $10 million to UCLA's clinic for concussions.

"In some ways, this is a real pilot project, and I think a lot of people are going to be watching the work coming out of UCLA," Tisch said Wednesday during a visit to the Westwood campus.

Along with the Tisch-sponsored program, the school is participating in a national study with the NCAA and Department of Defense to gather more data relating to head injuries in sports.

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