Cogwear and Rezon agreed today to develop the first-ever, smart athletic headband for monitoring and reducing traumatic brain injuries during sports. The partners are working together on a multi-million-dollar project to develop a proof of concept by 2022.
PHILADELPHIA, US & DURHAM, UK ─ December 6, 2021 ─ Cogwear, the US-based cognitive health startup, and Rezon, a UK-based brain protection company, agreed today to develop the first-ever, smart athletic headband for monitoring and reducing traumatic brain injuries during sports. The partners will design a high-performance, digitally enabled athletic headband that offers brain protection as well as real-time impact analysis, cognitive function reporting, and concussion screening.
Cogwear and Rezon aim to reduce the prevalence of brain trauma and progressive neurodegenerative disease in amateur and professional athletes. Athletes who experience one or more severe concussions, or years of repeated sub-concussive traumas, are more likely to suffer from progressive neurodegenerative disease which can cause physical and cognitive issues including dementia, depression, anxiety and mood swings. To address the problem, Cogwear and Rezon are designing a sleek, high-performance headband for universal use in football, soccer, rugby, hockey, gymnastics and other sports in which athletes’ heads make contact with the ground, sporting equipment, or other athletes.
The partners’ next-generation, athletic wearable will combine Rezon’s technology for brain protection with Cogwear’s clinical-grade, diagnostic technology. Rezon’s patented Rotection® technology, already available in the company’s current line of Halos headbands, reduces the risk of brain cell death and life-changing injuries to athletes who are hit on the back or sides of their heads. With Cogwear’s technology, the future headbands will measure sub-concussive or concussive head impacts during competition. Sensors embedded in headband will continuously assess the brain’s electrical activity. The gender agnostic product will monitor cognitive function, alert athletes to head injuries, and reduce related brain health issues such as depression and anxiety.
Rezon and Cogwear expect the new headband to be the first commercially available brain trauma screening tool that offers high-quality diagnostics based on data directly from the brain. Athletes will be able to share real-time data with coaches, doctors, therapists, family, caregivers or other choice contacts through a secure app that pulls insights from the headband during competition. This is different than the standard screening procedures used at most sporting events today. Typically, a coach, volunteer, or medical professional administers a subjective concussion screening following an observed or suspected injury.
“Our hope is that Cogwear and Rezon will help millions of people avoid life-altering or career-ending sports injuries, and stop the invisible epidemic of dementia, depression, anxiety and other mental health issues linked to brain trauma from contact sports. We want to empower athletes to make informed decisions about their health and well-being,” said Judith McMinn, Founder and CEO of Rezon.“The mind is the key to success on and off the field, so we are excited to partner with Rezon to help athletes assess their cognitive health anywhere anytime. Our technology is like a smartwatch for the brain. It will help athletes understand what’s happening in their heads so they can prevent serious injuries, ensure peak performance, and live free from depression, anxiety and other diseases caused by brain trauma,” said Cogwear’s CEO David Yonce.
The partners are working together on a multi-million-dollar project to develop a proof of concept by 2022 and commercialize the product by 2023.
About Cogwear
Cogwear is a cognitive health company on a mission to help people tune into their minds and meet their full potential. The Philadelphia-based start-up is developing comfortable, wearable technology that gives consumers on-demand access to their own clinical-grade cognitive feedback in virtually any setting. Pioneered together with neuroscience experts from the University of Pennsylvania and supported by the National Science Foundation, Cogwear’s proprietary electroencephalography (EEG) sensors are designed to measure, interpret, and report electrical brain activity through a secure app and sharable dashboard. Cogwear is moving clinical-grade brain insights from the lab to the real world, giving consumers, healthcare providers and wellness experts a powerful new data-based tool for behavioral health diagnostics and treatment, athletics, human performance, occupational safety, and other applications. Visit cogweartech.com to learn more.
About Rezon
Rezon is a UK-based brand that creates game-changing athletic wearables designed to protect the brain from impacts to the head during sport. Rezon’s products reduce the risk of life-changing concussions and the effects of cumulative traumas to the brain. Its first innovative wearable, Halos, is available for purchase at rezonwear.com and soon to be available at select sporting goods retailers in the UK, Europe and the US. Halos is the first and only legally approved sports protective wearable of its type having secured a Category II Personal Protective Equipment with CE Certification in the UK and Europe.
Media inquiries:
Jackie MacAllen
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