BYU Researchers Develop Smartfoam Helmets to Help Monitor Concussions

Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images

It was reported Friday that researchers at BYU created "smartfoam" to measure the impact of hits and monitor potential concussions in football.

According to SI.com's Daniel Rapaport, the smartfoam calculates impact energy, impact velocity and acceleration, and it sends electrical signals to determine how hard a hit was.

If the smartfoam replaces the regular foam inside football helmets, it could aid neurologists to more accurately diagnose players with head injuries.

Though the smartfoam assesses impact, it isn't designed to soften the blow of hits.

Per ESPN.com's Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru, the NFL is contributing $100 million to its own research, with most of that being put toward efforts to create safer helmets.