{"208451":{"#nid":"208451","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Researchers Develop Sensor System to Assess the Effects of Explosions on Soldiers","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EImprovised explosive devices (IEDs) are becoming a global problem for the U.S. armed forces. To prevent injuries to soldiers and provide better care to those who are injured, the U.S. military is striving to better understand how blasts impact the human body.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn 2011, the Army\u2019s Rapid Equipping Force (REF) approached the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) as part of the Department of Defense Information Analysis Center (IAC) program to develop a system that measures the physical environment of an explosion and collects data that can be used to correlate what the soldier experienced with long-term medical outcomes, especially traumatic brain injury.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe solution: the Integrated Blast Effect Sensor Suite (IBESS). IBESS is the first system to acquire integrated, time-tagged data during an explosive event \u2013 whether soldiers are on the ground or riding in a vehicle \u2013 and can later help recreate a holistic picture of what happened.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESystem of systems\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere are two parts to a blast: a shock wave that travels at supersonic speed, and compressed air, which travels in front of the shock wave. Both can cause considerable damage to the human body, but the exact effects are unclear.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cNo one knows to what extent overpressure or acceleration causes injuries,\u201d said Marty Broadwell, a principal research scientist at GTRI who manages the institute\u2019s projects with REF. \u201cNor do we know how quickly an injury will show up, how long it will last or which soldiers are more resistant to harm than others. The only way to understand the impact of a blast is to collect data, which is precisely what IBESS does.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow it works\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIBESS features two major subsystems: a unit worn by the soldier and a vehicle sensor suite. The soldier system is contained in a canvas pouch, which attaches to a soldier\u2019s armor between his or her shoulder blades. A recorder in the pouch connects to four pressure sensors, two on the back and two on straps that hang over the front of the shoulders. Because these sensors face different quadrants, the unit captures directionality and more information than previous blast gauges.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cSoldiers already carry considerable gear, so reducing the weight of the body unit and power consumption of its batteries drove many design decisions,\u201d said Brian Liu, a GTRI research engineer who served as technical lead on the project. For example, the recorder in the soldier body unit remains in sleep mode until pressure or shock waves hit a certain threshold, causing it to wake and begin recording data.\u0026nbsp; This allows the system to have longer battery life and remain relatively transparent to the wearer.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe vehicle system serves a dual purpose: It records blast events that affect the vehicle, but also interacts and automatically links with the soldier system. When a soldier enters a vehicle, a base station installed in seats transmits RFID signals. If the soldier system has stored any data, these signals initiate a Bluetooth connection that enables two-way communication and data transfer. This semi-passive RFID technology is proximity based; transmission and reception occur only at very close range, so IBESS can identify a soldier\u2019s precise location in the vehicle.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESensors are also installed on the vehicle\u2019s interior frame and seats. If an explosion or rollover occurs, these sensors collect linear acceleration and angular rotation data. The soldier system also wakes up and begins to record and transmit data. A single board computer aggregates data from both the vehicle and soldier systems and then passes it on to a rugged black box for final storage.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIBESS is specifically designed to withstand tremendous forces of an IED explosion.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Materials, mounting strategies and mechanical isolation strategies have been used to ensure the devices successfully capture data in \u2018survivable\u2019 events,\u201d Liu explained. \u201cWe first conducted research on what kinds of magnitudes of blasts were survivable for mounted and dismounted operations and then performed many tests at those levels for verification.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIBESS is innovative on many fronts:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ESynchronized data: Unlike earlier generations of blast gauges, all data in IBESS is time-tagged, using GPS time as common time source. \u201cUsing this data we can rebuild an event,\u201d Liu explained. \u201cEven though soldiers aren\u2019t wired together, we\u2019ll know they were in the same vehicle and experienced the same event \u2014 and can assess how an event propagated through.\u201d\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EScalability: GTRI researchers used as many off-the-shelf and standard components as possible. \u201cThis open architecture makes it easier to expand the system,\u201d observed Douglas Woods, GTRI research scientist and IBESS program manager.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAnonymity: By leveraging the Department of Defense\u2019s Common Access Card (CAC) system\u2019s Personal Key Identifier (PKI), IBESS can collect information uniquely tied to individual soldiers. Use of the PKI makes the data virtually anonymous so other researchers can study it without compromising privacy or containing personally identifiable information.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnother hallmark of the project was its rapid completion schedule. REF awarded the contract to GTRI in July 2011. Researchers wrapped up preliminary designs in September, and by early 2012 they were testing and refining the system. IBESS units began to ship overseas in August, and now the system has been issued to more than 650 troops and will be installed on 42 vehicles in Afghanistan.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOur work with GTRI has been outstanding,\u201d said Joe Rozmeski, REF\u2019s deputy chief of technology management. \u201cOriginally chosen for its sensor expertise, GTRI has proven to be an ideal partner for us. They understand their role perfectly and are in tune with the REF\u0027s objectives for integrated blast effect research and collection.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EUnderstanding the challenge\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt its peak, the project involved more than 50 researchers with expertise ranging from electronics to mechanical engineering to health systems. This diversity in disciplines was critical to IBESS\u2019 success.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIf you don\u2019t understand the context in which a device will be used, you won\u2019t be collecting the right information, said Shean Phelps, M.D., a principal research scientist who joined GTRI in 2011. A retired Army officer, Phelps was a Special Forces (Green Beret) weapons, medic and team sergeant before becoming a physician and was instrumental not only in initiating the IBESS project but also in providing both operational and medical perspectives.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETraumatic brain injury has become a greater concern in recent years. \u201cBecause of improved equipment and medical services, people are surviving severe explosions,\u201d Phelps explained. \u201cYet we lack a clear understanding of blast-induced injuries on the human nervous system. Mild traumatic brain injury is a particular concern because it has a wide range of symptoms and doesn\u2019t show up reliably in tests, so we can\u2019t effectively diagnose, treat and manage its long-term effects.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith IBESS, complex contextual data can be collected to link soldiers\u2019 experiences with their medical records and later correlate a blast event to traumatic brain injury. IBESS is a major step forward for both the medical and engineering communities, Phelps said: \u201cWe now have a platform that\u2019s dramatically different from previous efforts to collect blast data because it\u2019s time-tagged, fully integrated between humans and vehicles, able to pinpoint an individual\u2019s location in a vehicle \u2014 and able to accept data from any sensor.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat\u2019s ahead\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOngoing work is being conducted by a team of GTRI research engineers led by Allesio Medda, who are building a structured database and analytical tools for the data that IBESS collects. Other GTRI researchers are installing sensors in the ear-cup of communications headsets worn by soldiers, which measure linear and rotational acceleration on six axes. After testing, these headsets will be issued to 200 Army Rangers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECurrently IBESS only captures environmental data. Yet because of its open architecture, other diagnostic capabilities can be easily integrated. For example, sensors could be added to monitor heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen and hydration levels, body temperature and EKG activity.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith such biometric sensors, IBESS could evaluate soldiers\u2019 physical condition in training or on the battlefield for triage purposes or to assess their ability to do a certain job. Data from the system could be used to improve equipment and vehicle design. For example, gear might be developed to divert a shock wave or change its frequency if a particular frequency is shown to damage the brain. IBESS could also be adapted for non-military applications, such as monitoring construction workers, race car drivers or elderly people in their homes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cCollecting physical data on the blast environment is the critical first step before the system can be made medically predictive,\u201d stressed Woods. \u201cAn explosion is a physical phenomenon. In order to understand the extent of injuries and how to prevent them, you must first understand the physics.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E177 North Avenue\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAtlanta, Georgia 30332-0181\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contacts\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E)(404-894-6986) or Lance Wallace (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:lance.wallace@gtri.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Elance.wallace@gtri.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E)(404-407-7280)\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: T.J. Becker\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ETo study the effects of improvised explosive devices on soldiers and help provide continuing treatment, researchers have developed a sensor system that measures the physical environment of an explosion and collects data that can correlate what the soldier experienced with long-term outcomes.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Researchers have developed a sensor system to study the effects of explosions on soldiers."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2013-04-22 21:44:33","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:14:08","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-04-22T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-04-22T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"208411":{"id":"208411","type":"image","title":"IBESS System","body":null,"created":"1449180001","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 22:00:01","changed":"1475894866","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:46","alt":"IBESS System","file":{"fid":"196812","name":"i-bess103.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/i-bess103_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/i-bess103_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1240470,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/i-bess103_0.jpg?itok=c_p9lWNZ"}},"208421":{"id":"208421","type":"image","title":"IBESS System2","body":null,"created":"1449180001","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 22:00:01","changed":"1475894866","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:46","alt":"IBESS System2","file":{"fid":"196813","name":"ibess125.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ibess125_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ibess125_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1287514,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/ibess125_0.jpg?itok=9q1QyK0C"}},"208431":{"id":"208431","type":"image","title":"IBESS System3","body":null,"created":"1449180001","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 22:00:01","changed":"1475894866","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:47:46","alt":"IBESS System3","file":{"fid":"196814","name":"ibess193.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ibess193_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/ibess193_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1403587,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/ibess193_0.jpg?itok=IpiJbnml"}}},"media_ids":["208411","208421","208431"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"147","name":"Military Technology"},{"id":"150","name":"Physics and Physical Sciences"}],"keywords":[{"id":"3095","name":"explosion"},{"id":"415","name":"Georgia Tech Research Institute"},{"id":"416","name":"GTRI"},{"id":"7033","name":"IED"},{"id":"64661","name":"improvised explosive device"},{"id":"525","name":"military"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39481","name":"National Security"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}