Helmet-mounted blast dosimeter for the military: Electronics and signal processing challenges

Abstract

Blast-induced traumatic brain injuries have become the signature injury of the current conflicts in the Middle East, due to the emergence of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) as the weapon of choice by insurgents. Significant efforts are made by the medical and scientific communities to investigate the source and mechanisms related to that type of injury. To collect information related to the intensity of the blast events to which soldiers are exposed to in the field, a helmet-mounted blast dosimeter has been developed to track the acceleration and pressure field at the soldier helmet level. While initial proof of concepts had confirmed the appropriateness of the device in terms of correlating readings with corresponding dynamic motion of a soldier's head, significant electronics and signal processing challenges remained to be addressed and solved. The data from the unit can be downloaded to a computer system for further analysis. Thousands of units of the original concept were fielded by the US Military in the Middle East.