BLAST is sensor technology developed as part of the Office of Naval Research’s Future Naval Capabilities program. It is labeled a “Force Health Protection” product, and could be a benefit to men and women in combat in numerous ways. Marines shield themselves from the blast of a detonated explosive at an urban leaders course. (Photo Credit: U.S. Marine Corps; photo by Sgt. Emmanuel Ramos)
Explosives present an obvious danger in close proximity, but even as the distance increases, people can still be affected by the blast pressure and sustain traumatic brain injuries. BLAST, an acronym for Blast Load Assessment Sense and Test, is compact sensor technology that can give real-time feedback about risk of traumatic brain injury (TBI) after sustaining the impact of a detonated explosive.
Warren Duffie Jr. from the Office of Naval Research describes the components of the BLAST technology as coin-sized sensors that can be placed on helmets and body armor. These sensors record blast pressure, and this information is then downloaded, and run through a “special algorithm” that uses a threshold to determine whether the affected party is able to return to combat, or if they must undergo further medical examination or treatment. He describes a third component of the BLAST technology, which is an assessment tool that fits in the palm of the hand and emits various patterns of vibrations to stimulate sensation in the fingertips. This information is in turn used to assess brain health, and whether or not the combatant demonstrates TBI symptoms. Together these components provide valuable information that could save a service member’s physical and mental health.
The BLAST technology could also ease the strain on medical examiners at base camps as well seeing as a Department of Defense doctrine requires that anyone within 50 meters of an explosion must “stand down” for 24 hours and receive a mandatory medical check-up. Dr. Timothy Bentley, a program manager overseeing the research for ONR’s Warfighter Performance Department, has two concerns with this requirement:
(1) some forward operating bases are only 100 meters across, so half of the personnel would have to “stand down” for medical examination in the event of an explosion, and (2) 24 hours is insufficient to detect mild TBI for a regular medical check-up. The BLAST technology could help to lift this, at times, inefficient requirement, and could streamline the medical examination process of those affected by blasts. The information provided by the sensors would be able to determine which service members require further medical attention, and which ones can return to combat; therefore reducing the number of unnecessary medical examinations given to unaffected combatants. It appears as though this tiny technology could prove to have a much larger impact than its size might suggest.
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