Concussions are serious business, and people suffering from them should get medical attention as soon as possible. Unfortunately, however, they're often difficult for coaches on the sidelines of playing fields to diagnose. That's where Boston-based SyncThink's Eye-Sync system comes in. By tracking athletes' eye movements, it can reportedly tell if they're concussed in just one minute.
Eye-Sync consists of a virtual reality-style headset, hard-wired to a tablet.
When coaches or other people suspect that a player may have received a brain injury, they get them to put on the headset. The athlete then follows a small circle on the screen with their eyes, as it moves in various preprogrammed patterns. Cameras within the headset track their eyes as they do so.
If those eye movements are too erratic, it means that they have likely received a concussion – the inability for eyes to smoothly track moving objects is one of the telltale signs that someone has a traumatic brain injury. The coach is made aware of this fact via the tablet, so they can take action accordingly.
Eye-Sync is currently in use at Stanford University, and is now available for purchase via the link below. A similar system, EyeGuide Focus, recently failed to meet its funding goal on Indiegogo.
Source: SyncThink