Head, being a prominent part of the body, can't be neglected in any sort of injury while playing any sports. But, interestingly, it is the maximum hit section in a human body while playing sports like footfall, hockey, rugby or in case of soldiers. A team of researchers has designed a polymer material which changes its color depending on how hard it had hit. This polymer is highly beneficial in manufacturing helmets for soldiers and different games to overcome any head injury which may even lead to death.
The Researchers of University of Pennsylvania said that this color changing helmet can alert person for any head-related complications which can soon be attended to overwhelm any problems. According to them, it is hardly possible to find the level of injury a person had received by the hit, but with this helmet, it will be an easy task, as the change of color will alert them about the intensity of any collision. In general cases, in case of any head injuries, the soldier or a player continues the regular activity without bothering about the level of injury.
Diving into more details, holographic lithography is used to create the photonic crystals, structured in a particular pattern to respond with different colors. Whenever an external force is exerted on this crystal, the structure changes resulting in the change of color. It has been made lightweight and it doesn't require any external power source to detect the force. However, creating these crystals is an expensive process, this innovation can play a major role in the medical field.
Source: PHSY.ORG