No, it isn't really called a "magic helmet," but the hopes of its developers have a certain magical quality to them. The researchers in question are trying to develop a football helmet that will give off a visual signal that its wearer has suffered a concussion or severe blow to the brain. The idea, of course, is to be as certain as possible to get the affected player off the field before there's any opportunity for further damage. A concussion is bad enough; further injury while still under the influence of a concussion is exponentially worse.
The researchers on this project envision this technology being useful not only (perhaps not even primarily) for football players, but also for soldiers, a class of citizen that also faces severe brain trauma thanks to improvised explosive devices and other battlefield dangers. It's possible that the technology may be more useful for them; for football players, this might be at best a partial solution if it ever becomes any kind of useful tool.
To repeat: the concussion itself is not the only damage that places a football player's brain at risk. Subconcussive blows to the head are also capable of causing both short-term and long-term damage to the brain. It isn't clear that a test geared towards major traumas is going to be much help with discerning the damage caused by more routine hits.
I'd also suggest that some of the questions raised in the previous technology blog entry (linked at the top of this article) apply here. In particular, the perils of "waiting on science our savior" most definitely apply. How many players will get damaged in the interim, even if this helmet device actually becomes viable?
Another point is worth mentioning, though. Note the source of the "magic helmet" story: an insurance website. (Another provocative story from the same website, here, is worth a read.) Here is a major player in the ongoing saga that most people don't think about.
Somebody is going to have to come with insurance for the game of football. Leagues, teams, players...somebody is going to have to pay for it.
What happens when the insurance industry says "no more"? What happens when they decide it's no longer worth the risk?
I've said before that only fans, specifically fans no longer spending money on football, could affect entities like the NFL or NCAA. A balky insurance industry might just be an exception to that claim.
Image from "Invisible Killer,"
http://www.propertycasualty360.com/2013/09/04/invisible-killer
Also, if you've never heard the song from which I'm stealing this title, you can hear it here.
Also, if you've never heard the song from which I'm stealing this title, you can hear it here.
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