IT LOOKS like something out of the movie RoboCop, but this world-first device is set to take the guesswork out of diagnosing concussion in sportspeople thanks to the Randwick Rugby Club.

The Galloping Greens were the first to trial the Concussionmeter at Coogee Oval last weekend, taking the first-grade side a step beyond the 2015 HeadSafe concussion study led by Dr Adrian Cohen.

The Concussionmeter uses established technology to measure normal brain activity and demonstrate when it is abnormal after impact.

media_camera The Concussionmeter uses established technology to measure normal brain activity, and demonstrate when it’s abnormal after impact. The device is controlled by a smartphone app and returns results in two to three minutes. Picture: Supplied.

The device, which looks like a pair of sunglasses, is controlled by a smartphone app, with the data stored in the cloud so it can be referenced later when a player is being reassessed for safety to return to play.

Dr Cohen said it returned results within two to three minutes — a significant cut on the 20 minutes it takes to conduct the widely used Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT) test.

“The SCAT test is a combination of four or five other tests, like balance, memory and counting, but this is a direct measurement of the brain’s electrical function,” Dr Cohen said.

media_camera Dr Adrian Cohen, pictured with rugby player Will Munro is also behind the HeadSafe concussion study being conducted with Randwick’s first grade players over five years. Picture: Craig Wilson

“This is critical at the elite sports level and also for school and community sports, so that players, medical staff, coaches and parents can know when the athlete can safely return to playing.”

With the clinical trial now under way at the club, Dr Cohen said the next step was to have the Concussion­meter validated and approved by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration and the US Food and Drug Administration.

“We hope to one day extend the device into motor vehicle accidents, falls in the elderly and the military arena,” Dr Cohen said.

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