Helmet Sensors to Measure Blast Impact

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Helmet Sensors to Measure Blast Impact
Army News Service | Donna Miles | January 08, 2008

FORT BELVOIR, Va. -- Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division preparing to deploy to Afghanistan are being issued sensors that attach to their helmets to measure the impact from blasts, roadside bombs and other activities.

About 1,200 "Screaming Eagles" already have the new sensors, and the rest will receive them within the next month, said Maj. William Schaffer, a product manager in the Army's Program Executive Office Soldier, based here.

Meanwhile, troops from the 4th Infantry Division are scheduled to receive helmet sensors with similar capabilities before their deployment to Iraq this fall, Schaffer said.

The sensors gather data on impacts ranging from a dropped or kicked helmet to a vehicle crash to a nearby weapon firing or explosion, Maj. Schaffer explained. They measure two specific actions: the energy wave generated by the "event," and the "acceleration" or jolt that follows.

In the short term, data collected through the sensors is expected to help the Army improve the helmets and other protective equipment it provides its soldiers, Maj. Schaffer said.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,159591,00.html?wh=wh