BrainScope – Assessing Traumatic Brain Injury in the Field

While much of our coverage from Warrior Expo West has been about gear, this one hits directly in the medical field. That science fiction helmet you're looking at (Professor Xavier might wear something similar) is the Ahead 300 from BrainScope. This ruggedized and portable EEG reader can be used to assess traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the field, during a medevac, or in field hospitals.

According to the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC) more than 360,000 active duty service members have suffered at least one TBI; more than 17,000 in the last year alone.

While treatments for TBI are ongoing, the faster a medical professional can identify a TBI has occurred is only a Good Thing. Altitude and brain injuries don't play well together, and signs of TBI aren't always immediately obvious. The BrainScope Ahead 300 could be used to help mitigate additional damage incurred by unpressurized high altitude flights when transiting to a secondary care location. The main apparatus is placed on the crown of the skull, and a disposable sensor array is then attached. The whole kit runs from an armored Android phone and comes in it's own hardened transport case.

The portable size also means that collecting data on the cumulative effect of micro-traumas is also possible; think being exposed to breaching charges over and over and over. There are non-military possibilities here as well. As soon as many hear the words “brain injury”, sports like football and hockey come directly to mind. After all, the NFL hasn't been immune to some controversy surrounding concussions and other brain injuries.

In September of last year, the FDA gave BrainScope the green light for production. Read and see more here

[You can visit BrainScope online here]