HEADS is mounted beneath the crown suspension pads of most combat helmets. Because it fits securely under the padding, troops wearing the HEADS device won’t even notice it is there.
Once secured and armed, the sensor continuously measures and collects critical and potentially life-saving data, including impact location, magnitude, duration, blast pressures, angular and linear accelerations as well as the exact times of single or multiple blast events. The HEADS sensors are designed to only record data exceeding a predetermined threshold- what might occur with a roadside bomb, for example. Once that threshold is reached, a visual LED display on the sensor is triggered, alerting the Soldier of a potential head injury.
The data within the sensor is easily downloaded via a USB device or summary data can be retrieved through a wireless connection. Antennas can readily scan all available HEADS sensors in a Forward Operating Base and send the data to a computer, identifying Soldiers who may have been involved in a blast or explosion, triggering the sensor.
“HEADS has gone through multiple technology changes in the last four years,” said Donnie Bowser, Program Manager for Power and Sensors. “As we continue to develop the sensor, we plan to bring an increased functionality to the wireless capabilities among some other unique features.”