Flashing Mouthguards to Signal Head Injury Assessments at Women's Rugby World Cup
Innovative mouthguards with flashing LEDs will debut at the Women's Rugby World Cup to alert referees of high-impact collisions and ensure timely head injury assessments.
Flashing Mouthguards to Prompt HIA
Innovative mouthguards with embedded LEDs will debut at this month’s Women’s Rugby World Cup to speed up head injury assessments.
The instrumented devices measure linear and rotational forces during collisions. When an impact exceeds thresholds—75g for men and a lower 65g for women, with a rotational threshold of 4,500 radians—the LED flashes red on the pitch. Referees must immediately stop play and send the player for a mandatory 12-minute head injury assessment.
Alongside existing alerts sent to pitchside doctors, the visual signal ensures on-field officials are alerted without delay.
Customization and Opt-in Adoption
While instrumented mouthguards are optional—some players cite medical or data-privacy concerns—World Rugby reports full opt-in from participants in the 2025 men’s World Cup, except those with dental braces. The Women’s World Cup opens on 22 August with hosts England facing the United States.
By integrating visual alerts in mouthguards, rugby authorities aim to enhance player safety by ensuring prompt and consistent head injury assessments.
This topic was reported by BBC Sport.
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