1 00:00:11,140 --> 00:00:15,796 The word concussion evokes a fear these days more so than it ever has, 2 00:00:15,820 --> 00:00:18,196 and I know this personally. 3 00:00:18,220 --> 00:00:20,876 I played 10 years of football, 4 00:00:20,900 --> 00:00:23,316 was struck in the head thousands of times, 5 00:00:23,340 --> 00:00:26,996 and I have to tell you, though, what was much worse than that 6 00:00:27,020 --> 00:00:31,796 was a pair of bike accidents I had where I suffered concussions, 7 00:00:31,820 --> 00:00:34,756 and I'm still dealing with the effects of the most recent one 8 00:00:34,780 --> 00:00:36,540 today as I stand in front of you. 9 00:00:38,340 --> 00:00:40,796 There is a fear around concussion 10 00:00:40,820 --> 00:00:42,780 that does have some evidence behind it. 11 00:00:44,300 --> 00:00:47,636 There is information that a repeated history of concussion 12 00:00:47,660 --> 00:00:50,956 can lead to early dementia, such as Alzheimer's, 13 00:00:50,980 --> 00:00:53,036 and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. 14 00:00:53,060 --> 00:00:56,100 That was the subject of the Will Smith movie "Concussion." 15 00:00:57,260 --> 00:01:00,836 And so everybody is caught up in football and what they see in the military, 16 00:01:00,860 --> 00:01:02,196 but you may not know 17 00:01:02,220 --> 00:01:06,516 that bike riding is the leading cause of concussion for kids, 18 00:01:06,540 --> 00:01:08,207 sports-related concussion, that is. 19 00:01:09,740 --> 00:01:12,316 And so another thing that I should tell you 20 00:01:12,340 --> 00:01:13,556 that you may not know 21 00:01:13,580 --> 00:01:16,516 is that the helmets that are worn in bicycling and football 22 00:01:16,540 --> 00:01:18,196 and many activities, 23 00:01:18,220 --> 00:01:20,796 they're not designed or tested 24 00:01:20,820 --> 00:01:24,300 for how well they can protect your children against concussion. 25 00:01:24,900 --> 00:01:26,636 They're in fact designed and tested 26 00:01:26,660 --> 00:01:29,340 for their ability to protect against skull fracture. 27 00:01:30,540 --> 00:01:36,156 And so I get this question all the time from parents, 28 00:01:36,180 --> 00:01:37,756 and they ask me, 29 00:01:37,780 --> 00:01:40,076 "Would you let your own child play football?" 30 00:01:40,100 --> 00:01:43,276 Or, "Should I let my child play soccer?" 31 00:01:43,300 --> 00:01:46,196 And I think that as a field, 32 00:01:46,220 --> 00:01:50,620 we're a long way from giving an answer with any kind of confidence there. 33 00:01:52,140 --> 00:01:55,716 So I look at that question from a bit of a different lens, 34 00:01:55,740 --> 00:01:59,476 and I want to know, how can we prevent concussion? 35 00:01:59,500 --> 00:02:01,156 Is that even possible? 36 00:02:01,180 --> 00:02:03,740 And most experts think that it's not, 37 00:02:05,220 --> 00:02:07,436 but the work that we're doing in my lab 38 00:02:07,460 --> 00:02:11,836 is starting to reveal more of the details around concussion 39 00:02:11,860 --> 00:02:14,636 so that we can have a better understanding. 40 00:02:14,660 --> 00:02:17,516 The reason we're able to prevent skull fracture with helmets 41 00:02:17,540 --> 00:02:19,994 is because it's pretty simple. We know how it works. 42 00:02:20,020 --> 00:02:22,060 Concussion has been much more of a mystery. 43 00:02:22,980 --> 00:02:26,740 So to give you a sense of what might be happening in a concussion, 44 00:02:27,940 --> 00:02:29,876 I want to show you the video here 45 00:02:29,900 --> 00:02:32,436 that you see when you type into Google, 46 00:02:32,460 --> 00:02:33,876 "What is a concussion?" 47 00:02:33,900 --> 00:02:35,556 The CDC website comes up, 48 00:02:35,580 --> 00:02:39,036 and this video essentially tells the whole story. 49 00:02:39,060 --> 00:02:41,476 What you see is the head moves forward, 50 00:02:41,500 --> 00:02:43,556 the brain lags behind, 51 00:02:43,580 --> 00:02:44,996 then the brain catches up 52 00:02:45,020 --> 00:02:47,276 and smashes into the skull, 53 00:02:47,300 --> 00:02:49,476 it rebounds off the skull, 54 00:02:49,500 --> 00:02:53,260 and then proceeds to run into the other side of the skull. 55 00:02:54,020 --> 00:02:57,636 And what you'll notice is highlighted in this video from the CDC, 56 00:02:57,660 --> 00:03:00,116 which I'll note was funded by the NFL, 57 00:03:00,140 --> 00:03:03,076 is that the outer surface of the brain, 58 00:03:03,100 --> 00:03:06,396 where it was to have smashed into the skull, 59 00:03:06,420 --> 00:03:10,356 looks like it's been damaged or injured, so it's on the outer surface of the brain. 60 00:03:10,380 --> 00:03:12,356 And what I'd like to do with this video 61 00:03:12,380 --> 00:03:16,076 is to tell you that there are some aspects that are probably right, 62 00:03:16,100 --> 00:03:19,116 indicative of what the scientists think happens with concussion, 63 00:03:19,140 --> 00:03:21,756 but there's probably more that's wrong with this video. 64 00:03:21,780 --> 00:03:25,036 So one thing that I do agree with, and I think most experts would, 65 00:03:25,060 --> 00:03:27,076 is that the brain does have these dynamics. 66 00:03:27,100 --> 00:03:29,476 It does lag behind the skull 67 00:03:29,500 --> 00:03:32,156 and then catch up and move back and forth and oscillate. 68 00:03:32,180 --> 00:03:33,420 That we think is true. 69 00:03:34,460 --> 00:03:37,756 However, the amount of motion you see in the brain in this video 70 00:03:37,780 --> 00:03:39,356 is probably not right at all. 71 00:03:39,380 --> 00:03:42,796 There's very little room in the cranial vault, 72 00:03:42,820 --> 00:03:44,516 only a few millimeters, 73 00:03:44,540 --> 00:03:47,716 and it's filled entirely with cerebral spinal fluid, 74 00:03:47,740 --> 00:03:49,916 which acts as a protective layer. 75 00:03:49,940 --> 00:03:54,100 And so the brain as a whole probably moves very little inside the skull. 76 00:03:55,220 --> 00:03:57,276 The other problem with this video 77 00:03:57,300 --> 00:03:59,036 is that the brain is shown 78 00:03:59,060 --> 00:04:02,156 as a kind of rigid whole as it moves around, 79 00:04:02,180 --> 00:04:03,580 and that's not true either. 80 00:04:04,420 --> 00:04:07,836 Your brain is one of the softest substances in your body, 81 00:04:07,860 --> 00:04:09,876 and you can think of it kind of like jello. 82 00:04:09,900 --> 00:04:12,036 So as your head is moving back and forth, 83 00:04:12,060 --> 00:04:14,916 your brain is twisting and turning and contorting, 84 00:04:14,940 --> 00:04:17,156 and the tissue is getting stretched, 85 00:04:17,180 --> 00:04:20,196 and so most experts I think would agree 86 00:04:20,220 --> 00:04:23,356 that concussion is not likely to be something that's happening 87 00:04:23,380 --> 00:04:25,196 on this outer surface of the brain, 88 00:04:25,220 --> 00:04:27,316 but rather it's something that's much deeper 89 00:04:27,340 --> 00:04:28,900 towards the center of the brain. 90 00:04:29,979 --> 00:04:32,556 Now, the way that we're approaching this problem 91 00:04:32,580 --> 00:04:34,916 to try to understand the mechanisms of concussion 92 00:04:34,940 --> 00:04:36,796 and to figure out if we can prevent it 93 00:04:36,820 --> 00:04:39,636 is we are using a device like this. 94 00:04:39,660 --> 00:04:40,860 It's a mouthguard. 95 00:04:41,660 --> 00:04:44,556 It has sensors in it that are essentially the same 96 00:04:44,580 --> 00:04:45,916 that are in your cell phone: 97 00:04:45,940 --> 00:04:48,276 accelerometers, gyroscopes, 98 00:04:48,300 --> 00:04:50,196 and when someone is struck in the head, 99 00:04:50,220 --> 00:04:52,756 it can tell you how their head moved 100 00:04:52,780 --> 00:04:55,900 at a thousand samples per second. 101 00:04:57,460 --> 00:05:00,156 The principle behind the mouthguard is this: 102 00:05:00,180 --> 00:05:01,436 it fits onto your teeth. 103 00:05:01,460 --> 00:05:04,516 Your teeth are one of the hardest substances in your body. 104 00:05:04,540 --> 00:05:06,596 So it rigidly couples to your skull 105 00:05:06,620 --> 00:05:09,036 and gives you the most precise possible measurement 106 00:05:09,060 --> 00:05:10,996 of how the skull moves. 107 00:05:11,020 --> 00:05:13,556 People have tried other approaches, with helmets. 108 00:05:13,580 --> 00:05:16,956 We've looked at other sensors that go on your skin, 109 00:05:16,980 --> 00:05:19,596 and they all simply move around too much, 110 00:05:19,620 --> 00:05:22,316 and so we found that this is the only reliable way 111 00:05:22,340 --> 00:05:23,700 to take a good measurement. 112 00:05:26,100 --> 00:05:30,396 So now that we've got this device, we can go beyond studying cadavers, 113 00:05:30,420 --> 00:05:32,836 because you can only learn so much about concussion 114 00:05:32,860 --> 00:05:34,076 from studying a cadaver, 115 00:05:34,100 --> 00:05:36,876 and we want to learn and study live humans. 116 00:05:36,900 --> 00:05:40,796 So where can we find a group of willing volunteers 117 00:05:40,820 --> 00:05:45,076 to go out and smash their heads into each other on a regular basis 118 00:05:45,100 --> 00:05:46,316 and sustain concussion? 119 00:05:46,340 --> 00:05:48,236 Well, I was one of them, 120 00:05:48,260 --> 00:05:51,060 and it's your local friendly Stanford football team. 121 00:05:52,340 --> 00:05:53,956 So this is our laboratory, 122 00:05:53,980 --> 00:05:55,676 and I want to show you 123 00:05:55,700 --> 00:05:58,876 the first concussion we measured with this device. 124 00:05:58,900 --> 00:06:03,156 One of the things that I should point out is the device has this gyroscope in it, 125 00:06:03,180 --> 00:06:05,916 and that allows you to measure the rotation of the head. 126 00:06:05,940 --> 00:06:08,316 Most experts think that that's the critical factor 127 00:06:08,340 --> 00:06:11,196 that might start to tell us what is happening in concussion. 128 00:06:11,220 --> 00:06:12,580 So please watch this video. 129 00:06:13,980 --> 00:06:17,396 Announcer: Cougars bring extra people late, but Luck has time, 130 00:06:17,420 --> 00:06:19,060 and Winslow is crushed. 131 00:06:20,820 --> 00:06:22,396 Announcer: I hope he's all right. 132 00:06:22,420 --> 00:06:24,380 (Audience roars) 133 00:06:29,260 --> 00:06:30,716 Announcer: Top of your screen, 134 00:06:30,740 --> 00:06:33,156 you'll see him come on just this little post route, 135 00:06:33,180 --> 00:06:34,820 get separation, safety. 136 00:06:38,940 --> 00:06:41,500 There it comes at you in real speed. You'll hear this. 137 00:06:43,340 --> 00:06:45,220 Announcer: The hit delivered by -- 138 00:06:47,419 --> 00:06:50,875 David Camarillo: Sorry, three times is probably a little excessive there. 139 00:06:50,900 --> 00:06:52,156 But you get the idea. 140 00:06:52,180 --> 00:06:54,996 So when you look at just the film here, 141 00:06:55,020 --> 00:06:58,836 pretty much the only thing you can see is he got hit really hard and he was hurt. 142 00:06:58,860 --> 00:07:00,516 But when we extract the data 143 00:07:00,540 --> 00:07:02,540 out of the mouthguard that he was wearing, 144 00:07:02,564 --> 00:07:05,276 we can see much more detail, much richer information. 145 00:07:05,300 --> 00:07:07,716 And one of the things that we noticed here 146 00:07:07,740 --> 00:07:11,796 is that he was struck in the lower left side of his face mask. 147 00:07:11,820 --> 00:07:14,996 And so that did something first that was a little counterintuitive. 148 00:07:15,020 --> 00:07:16,716 His head did not move to the right. 149 00:07:16,740 --> 00:07:18,676 In fact, it rotated first to the left. 150 00:07:18,700 --> 00:07:21,556 Then as the neck began to compress, 151 00:07:21,580 --> 00:07:24,676 the force of the blow caused it to whip back to the right, 152 00:07:24,700 --> 00:07:30,556 so this left-right motion was sort of a whiplash type phenomenon 153 00:07:30,580 --> 00:07:34,996 and we think that is probably what led to the brain injury. 154 00:07:35,020 --> 00:07:38,796 Now, this device is only limited in such that it can measure the skull motion, 155 00:07:38,820 --> 00:07:42,236 but what we really want to know is what's happening inside of the brain. 156 00:07:42,260 --> 00:07:45,756 So we collaborate with Svein Kleiven's group in Sweden. 157 00:07:45,780 --> 00:07:49,356 They've developed a finite element model of the brain. 158 00:07:49,380 --> 00:07:51,476 And so this is a simulation 159 00:07:51,500 --> 00:07:54,836 using the data from our mouthguard from the injury I just showed you, 160 00:07:54,860 --> 00:07:56,876 and what you see is the brain -- 161 00:07:56,900 --> 00:07:59,316 this is a cross-section right in the front 162 00:07:59,340 --> 00:08:02,116 of the brain twisting and contorting as I mentioned. 163 00:08:02,140 --> 00:08:05,036 So you can see this doesn't look a lot like the CDC video. 164 00:08:05,060 --> 00:08:06,916 Now, the colors that you're looking at 165 00:08:06,940 --> 00:08:11,076 are how much the brain tissue is being stretched, 166 00:08:11,100 --> 00:08:12,796 and so the red is 50 percent. 167 00:08:12,820 --> 00:08:16,476 That means the brain has been stretched to 50 percent of its original length, 168 00:08:16,500 --> 00:08:18,196 the tissue in that particular area. 169 00:08:18,220 --> 00:08:21,476 And the main thing I want to draw your attention to is this red spot. 170 00:08:21,500 --> 00:08:24,956 So the red spot is very close to the center of the brain, 171 00:08:24,980 --> 00:08:26,236 and relatively speaking, 172 00:08:26,260 --> 00:08:30,916 you don't see a lot of colors like that on the exterior surface 173 00:08:30,940 --> 00:08:33,299 as the CDC video showed. 174 00:08:34,659 --> 00:08:36,395 Now, to explain a little more detail 175 00:08:36,419 --> 00:08:40,035 about how we think concussion might be happening, 176 00:08:40,059 --> 00:08:41,356 one thing I should mention 177 00:08:41,380 --> 00:08:44,595 is that we and others have observed that a concussion is more likely 178 00:08:44,619 --> 00:08:48,595 when you're struck and your head rotates in this direction. 179 00:08:48,619 --> 00:08:50,876 This is more common in sports like football, 180 00:08:50,900 --> 00:08:54,234 but this seems to be more dangerous. So what might be happening there? 181 00:08:54,258 --> 00:08:57,276 Well, one thing that you'll notice in the human brain 182 00:08:57,300 --> 00:08:59,036 that is different than other animals 183 00:08:59,060 --> 00:09:01,516 is we have these two very large lobes. 184 00:09:01,540 --> 00:09:03,756 We have the right brain and the left brain. 185 00:09:03,780 --> 00:09:06,836 And the key thing to notice in this figure here 186 00:09:06,860 --> 00:09:10,116 is that right down the center of the right brain and the left brain 187 00:09:10,140 --> 00:09:13,076 there's a large fissure that goes deep into the brain. 188 00:09:13,100 --> 00:09:16,655 And in that fissure, what you can't see in this image, 189 00:09:16,680 --> 00:09:17,896 you'll have to trust me, 190 00:09:17,920 --> 00:09:19,616 there is a fibrous sheet of tissue. 191 00:09:19,640 --> 00:09:20,856 It's called the falx, 192 00:09:20,880 --> 00:09:24,536 and it runs from the front of your head all the way to the back of your head, 193 00:09:24,560 --> 00:09:25,776 and it's quite stiff. 194 00:09:25,800 --> 00:09:29,256 And so what that allows for is when you're struck 195 00:09:29,280 --> 00:09:32,336 and your head rotates in this left-right direction, 196 00:09:32,360 --> 00:09:36,136 forces can rapidly transmit right down to the center of your brain. 197 00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:38,400 Now, what's there at the bottom of this fissure? 198 00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:42,016 It's the wiring of your brain, 199 00:09:42,040 --> 00:09:46,656 and in fact this red bundle here at the bottom of that fissure 200 00:09:46,680 --> 00:09:49,656 is the single largest fiber bundle 201 00:09:49,680 --> 00:09:53,656 that is the wiring that connects the right and left sides of your brain. 202 00:09:54,380 --> 00:09:55,904 It's called the corpus callosum, 203 00:09:57,380 --> 00:09:59,316 and we think that this might be 204 00:09:59,340 --> 00:10:03,156 one of the most common mechanisms of concussion, 205 00:10:03,180 --> 00:10:07,876 and as the forces move down, they strike the corpus callosum, 206 00:10:07,900 --> 00:10:10,876 it causes a dissociation between your right and your left brain 207 00:10:10,900 --> 00:10:13,380 and could explain some of the symptoms of concussion. 208 00:10:14,580 --> 00:10:17,396 This finding is also consistent of what we've seen 209 00:10:17,420 --> 00:10:21,436 in this brain disease that I mentioned, chronic traumatic encephalopathy. 210 00:10:21,460 --> 00:10:26,996 So this is an image of a middle-aged ex-professional football player, 211 00:10:27,020 --> 00:10:30,996 and the thing that I want to point out is if you look at the corpus callosum, 212 00:10:31,020 --> 00:10:36,016 and I'll page back here so you can see the size of a normal corpus callosum 213 00:10:36,080 --> 00:10:40,496 and the size of the person here who has chronic traumatic encephalopathy, 214 00:10:40,520 --> 00:10:43,056 it is greatly atrophied. 215 00:10:43,080 --> 00:10:46,416 And the same goes for all of the space in the ventricles. 216 00:10:46,440 --> 00:10:48,216 These ventricles are much larger. 217 00:10:48,240 --> 00:10:50,776 And so all of this tissue near the center of the brain 218 00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:52,016 has died off over time. 219 00:10:52,040 --> 00:10:55,600 So what we're learning is indeed consistent. 220 00:10:56,520 --> 00:10:59,176 Now, there is some good news here, 221 00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:02,656 and I hope to give you a sense of hope by the end of this talk. 222 00:11:02,680 --> 00:11:04,776 One of the things that we've noticed, 223 00:11:04,800 --> 00:11:07,056 specifically about this mechanism of injury, 224 00:11:07,080 --> 00:11:11,136 is although there's a rapid transmission of the forces down this fissure, 225 00:11:11,160 --> 00:11:14,456 it still takes a defined amount of time, 226 00:11:14,480 --> 00:11:18,816 and what we think is that if we can slow the head down just enough 227 00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:22,056 so that the brain does not lag behind the skull 228 00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:25,656 but instead it moves in synchrony with the skull, 229 00:11:25,680 --> 00:11:28,936 then we might be able to prevent this mechanism of concussion. 230 00:11:28,960 --> 00:11:31,640 So how can we slow the head down? 231 00:11:33,640 --> 00:11:35,376 (Laughter) 232 00:11:35,400 --> 00:11:37,360 A gigantic helmet. 233 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:41,296 So with more space, you have more time, 234 00:11:41,320 --> 00:11:44,416 and this is a bit of a joke, but some of you may have seen this. 235 00:11:44,440 --> 00:11:46,736 This is bubble soccer, and it's a real sport. 236 00:11:46,760 --> 00:11:48,416 In fact, I saw some young adults 237 00:11:48,440 --> 00:11:51,416 playing this sport down the street from my house the other day, 238 00:11:51,440 --> 00:11:54,336 and as far as I know there have been no reported concussions. 239 00:11:54,360 --> 00:11:55,376 (Laughter) 240 00:11:55,400 --> 00:11:59,816 But in all seriousness, this principle does work, 241 00:11:59,840 --> 00:12:01,216 but this has gone too far. 242 00:12:01,240 --> 00:12:06,496 This isn't something that's practical for bike riding or playing football, 243 00:12:06,520 --> 00:12:10,896 and so we are collaborating with a company in Sweden called Hรถvding. 244 00:12:10,920 --> 00:12:13,256 Some of you may have seen their work, 245 00:12:13,280 --> 00:12:17,656 and they're using the same principle of air to give you some extra space 246 00:12:17,680 --> 00:12:19,480 to prevent concussion. 247 00:12:20,320 --> 00:12:22,080 Kids, don't try this at home please. 248 00:12:25,080 --> 00:12:27,240 This stuntman does not have a helmet. 249 00:12:28,600 --> 00:12:30,856 He instead has a neck collar, 250 00:12:30,880 --> 00:12:33,456 and this neck collar has sensors in it, 251 00:12:33,480 --> 00:12:37,056 the same type of sensors that are in our mouthguard, 252 00:12:37,080 --> 00:12:40,216 and it detects when he's likely to have a fall, 253 00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:42,576 and there's an airbag that explodes and triggers, 254 00:12:42,600 --> 00:12:46,376 the same way that an airbag works in your car, essentially. 255 00:12:46,400 --> 00:12:49,336 And in the experiments we've done in my lab with their device, 256 00:12:49,360 --> 00:12:53,096 we found that it can greatly reduce the risk of concussion in some scenarios 257 00:12:53,120 --> 00:12:55,256 compared to a normal bicycle helmet. 258 00:12:55,280 --> 00:12:57,120 So it's a pretty exciting development, 259 00:12:58,120 --> 00:13:02,816 but in order for us to actually realize the benefits of technology 260 00:13:02,840 --> 00:13:04,696 that can prevent concussion, 261 00:13:04,720 --> 00:13:07,656 it needs to meet regulations. 262 00:13:07,680 --> 00:13:09,376 That's a reality, 263 00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:12,536 and this device is for sale in Europe 264 00:13:12,560 --> 00:13:16,256 but is not for sale in the US, and probably won't be any time soon. 265 00:13:16,280 --> 00:13:17,816 So I wanted to tell you why. 266 00:13:17,840 --> 00:13:21,616 There are some good reasons and then there are some not so good reasons. 267 00:13:21,640 --> 00:13:23,856 Bike helmets are federally regulated. 268 00:13:23,880 --> 00:13:27,616 The Consumer Product Safety Commission has been given jurisdiction 269 00:13:27,640 --> 00:13:29,496 to approve any bike helmet for sale, 270 00:13:29,520 --> 00:13:30,976 and this is the test they use. 271 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:34,656 This is back to what I was telling you at the beginning about skull fracture. 272 00:13:34,680 --> 00:13:36,096 That's what this test is for. 273 00:13:36,120 --> 00:13:37,856 And that's an important thing to do. 274 00:13:37,880 --> 00:13:40,736 It can save your life, but it's not sufficient, I would say. 275 00:13:40,760 --> 00:13:43,496 So for example, one thing this test doesn't evaluate 276 00:13:43,520 --> 00:13:46,336 is it doesn't tell you is that airbag going to trigger 277 00:13:46,360 --> 00:13:50,256 at the right time and place, and not trigger when it doesn't need to? 278 00:13:50,280 --> 00:13:52,336 Similarly, it's not going to tell you 279 00:13:52,360 --> 00:13:55,736 is this helmet likely to prevent concussion or not? 280 00:13:55,760 --> 00:13:59,496 And if you look at football helmets, which aren't regulated, 281 00:13:59,520 --> 00:14:02,481 they still have a very similar test. 282 00:14:02,520 --> 00:14:04,776 They're not regulated by the government, anyway. 283 00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:07,936 They have an industry body, which is the way most industries work. 284 00:14:07,960 --> 00:14:10,976 But this industry body, I can tell you, has been quite resistant 285 00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:12,376 to updating their standards. 286 00:14:12,400 --> 00:14:15,656 So in my lab, we are working on not only the mechanism of concussion, 287 00:14:15,680 --> 00:14:19,136 but we want to understand how can we have better test standards? 288 00:14:19,160 --> 00:14:23,696 And we hope that the government can use this type of information 289 00:14:23,720 --> 00:14:25,456 to encourage innovation 290 00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:27,096 by letting consumers know 291 00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:30,896 how protected are you with a given helmet. 292 00:14:30,920 --> 00:14:34,296 And I want to bring this back finally to the original question I asked, 293 00:14:34,320 --> 00:14:37,656 which is, would I feel comfortable letting my child play football 294 00:14:37,680 --> 00:14:39,416 or ride a bicycle? 295 00:14:39,440 --> 00:14:42,776 And this might be just a result of my own traumatic experience. 296 00:14:42,800 --> 00:14:46,800 I'm much more nervous about my daughter Rose riding a bicycle. 297 00:14:47,920 --> 00:14:49,576 So she's a year and a half old, 298 00:14:49,600 --> 00:14:55,056 and she's already, well, wants to anyway, race down the streets of San Francisco. 299 00:14:55,080 --> 00:14:57,416 This is the bottom of one of these streets. 300 00:14:57,440 --> 00:15:02,656 And so my personal goal is to -- and I believe this is possible -- 301 00:15:02,680 --> 00:15:04,736 is to further develop these technologies, 302 00:15:04,760 --> 00:15:07,736 and in fact, we're working on something in my lab in particular 303 00:15:07,760 --> 00:15:10,713 that really makes optimal use of the given space of the helmet, 304 00:15:10,737 --> 00:15:13,216 and I am confident that we will be able to, 305 00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:16,456 before she's ready to ride a two-wheeler, 306 00:15:16,480 --> 00:15:17,856 have something available 307 00:15:17,880 --> 00:15:21,216 that can in fact really reduce the risk of concussion 308 00:15:21,240 --> 00:15:24,376 and comply with regulatory bodies. 309 00:15:24,400 --> 00:15:26,016 And so what I'd like to do -- 310 00:15:26,040 --> 00:15:29,416 and I know that this is for some of you of more immediate nature, 311 00:15:29,440 --> 00:15:31,096 I've got a couple years here -- 312 00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:35,256 is to be able to tell parents and grandparents when I'm asked, 313 00:15:35,280 --> 00:15:39,696 it is safe and healthy for your children to engage in these activities. 314 00:15:39,720 --> 00:15:42,536 And I'm very fortunate to have a wonderful team at Stanford 315 00:15:42,560 --> 00:15:44,456 that's working hard on this. 316 00:15:44,480 --> 00:15:48,576 So I hope to come back in a few years with the final story, 317 00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:50,576 but for now I will tell you, 318 00:15:50,600 --> 00:15:53,536 please don't just be afraid when you hear the word concussion. 319 00:15:53,560 --> 00:15:54,776 There is hope. 320 00:15:54,800 --> 00:15:56,016 Thank you. 321 00:15:56,040 --> 00:15:58,000 (Applause)