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SportsMouthguard Sensors, Helmet Testing and the Digital Athlete
Twenty flashcards on the player safety technology the NFL already uses: head impact sensors, RFID tags, lab-ranked helmets and an AI injury tool.
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20 cards
- What do the NFL's sensor mouthguards capture?
- Data on what the head experiences during an impact, to reduce concussions and head impacts.
- When did the mouthguard sensor program start?
- In 2019, as part of the NFL's $60 million health and safety commitment.
- First four universities in the program (2021)?
- Alabama, North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Washington and Wisconsin.
- Universities added in 2022?
- Florida, Georgia, Pittsburgh and Vanderbilt.
- How many players and NFL clubs collect this data?
- More than 250 players at eight universities, plus identical data collection at four NFL clubs.
- How is each mouthguard custom-fit?
- Dental professionals scan the teeth with iTero intraoral scanners from Align Technology.
- Who analyzes the mouthguard data?
- Independent engineers at Biocore and at a Philadelphia hospital's Center for Injury Research and Prevention, after anonymizing it.
- Is wearing the sensor mouthguard required?
- No: players opt in voluntarily, and each university's review board approved the study.
- Where are RFID tags placed and what do they measure?
- On both sides of the shoulder pads; they track a player's speed and location on game days.
- What is sensor data combined with?
- Field surface, weather, player workload and performance data, and video footage.
- Since when have the NFL and NFLPA run helmet lab testing?
- Since 2015.
- Helmet shift in the 2025 season?
- Nearly 60% of returning players switched to a better-performing helmet; 56% chose Guardian Cap optional models.
- Green 'Top-Performing' vs. yellow 'Not Recommended' helmets on the field?
- Green helmets had nearly 30% lower on-field concussion rates.
- Share of NFL players in custom-fit helmets in 2025?
- 97%.
- The next frontier after the helmet shell?
- The facemask: 44% of in-game concussions in 2025 involved it; a challenge offers awards up to $100,000.
- Helmet ranking rule from the 2026 season?
- Every helmet outside the green top-performing group is marked 'Not Recommended'.
- Which positions get their own helmet posters?
- Quarterback, offensive lineman and defensive lineman.
- Guardian Cap effect in the 2024 preseason?
- Nearly 50% fewer concussions in mandated sessions than the pre-mandate average.
- Concussions in the 2024 preseason?
- 44, the fewest since tracking began in 2015: 24% below 2023 and under half of the 91 in 2017.
- What is the Digital Athlete?
- An AI injury prediction tool that runs millions of game simulations on AWS; all 32 clubs use its portal.
Official sources
National Football League, Player Health and Safety
NFL Expands Partnership to Eight Research Universities to Measure On-Field Head Impacts Using Novel Mouthguard Sensors (2022-11-10)
National Football League
NFL Health & Safety: Data sensor technology provides insights, better care for players
National Football League
More Data, Collaboration Building a Safer Game in the NFL and Beyond
National Football League, Player Health and Safety
NFL and NFLPA Release 2026 Helmet Laboratory Testing Results Posters as Player Adoption Reaches New Heights (2026-04-14)
National Football League, Player Health and Safety
Helmet Laboratory Testing Performance Results (2026-04-10)
National Football League, Player Health and Safety
Innovations in Player Safety Help Drive NFL Preseason Concussions to Record Low (2024-10-04)
National Football League, Player Health and Safety
Advancing Player Health and Safety with the Digital Athlete (2026-01-11)
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