Concussions are still a hot-button topic when it comes to sports. Pro sports get a lot of press, but more and more attention is being paid to high school and college athletes.

Being a former high school athlete (no, really!), I understand both sides of the issue. Side One - the parent/adult - wants to know if their child has a concussion so they can get proper treatment. Side Two - the athlete - may hide (or not even realize that they have) a possible concussion to avoid the wrath of a coach, or because a possible scholarship is riding on their athletic performance. I was knocked out and suffered a concussion playing baseball, waking up with a stutter. It took me years to talk 'normal' again, and I still blank mid-sentence sometimes.

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But did I know that I had a concussion at the time? Nope.

Enter Anthony Gonzales, a former college rugby player who took a hit to the head so hard that he couldn't remember which team he was playing for. Anthony was lucky in that his teammates realized that he wasn't right and subsequently pulled him from the game.

When Anthony recovered, he wanted to improve how quickly concussions are diagnosed. Along with fellow Arizona State University alum Bob Merriman, they created a high-tech mouth guard called the FITGuard. It is referred to as the brain's equivalent of a car's "Check Engine" light.

What the FITGuard does is measure the force of a blow to the head and calculates the likelihood of a concussion. LED lights on the front of the mouth guard turn from green to red to alert the player. The unit then continues checking for symptoms while sending a steady stream of information to a smartphone or tablet app, which alerts coaches (and parents!) if a player should be pulled from a game and seek medical treatment.

The FITGuard is expected to be on the market next year and retail for around $100. Not bad for peace of mind.

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