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[therugbyscientist]

Concussions and Carbon Emissions. The two biggest challenges faced by Rugby Union players and fans today. ORB Innovations are here to fix that with the latest evolution of RFID/GPS tracking.

Rugby Union is a brutal sport. Compared by many to the Gladiatorial nature of sport in the Roman Empire. Freakishly large men and women colliding into each other at frightening speeds for 80 minutes every week. It’s easy to see why there is a high rate of injury and attrition in such a physically demanding sport. Although the game has evolved and is now geared more towards players’ safety and health than ever before, it’s not perfect, concussion rates recently hit their highest since records began. More could be done.  

The same could be said about the planet’s current climate situation. So much work has gone into reducing our carbon emissions and making the planet a safer and more sustainable environment for children of tomorrow and animals alike. Despite those efforts, we have went backwards recently. We are working towards net zero, but not quickly enough and we’re still nowhere near achieving it.  

So, as fans of rugby union, we’re not in a great place. Financially, clubs and unions are strapped. The recent demise of Worcester and Wasps, two giants of the men’s club game, is not easy viewing. We all want to help support our teams, local and professional, but this is a difficult financial time for the public, wallets are tight. Making responsible choices around carbon emissions might not always be the most cost effective. I know myself as an amateur rugby player, the toll just travelling to training has taken on my bank account has been a bit of a fright and I car share! As is the environmentally friendly option for the long commute to training and games. Without financial support from my club in the way of travel expenses, I don’t think I would be able to travel and be involved in the sport I love much longer. Then you must consider the impact of concussions, the recent high-profile cases of Doddie Weir and Rob Burrows, both diagnosed with MND, has brought to light studies and research which are not favouring for our sport, or encouraging for players who don’t get paid quite as much as the professionals. Being 15 times more likely to develop a disease which slowly wears you away as a person is enough to put many off.  

The gumshield or mouthguard, is an essential piece of rugby kit from the lowest level of the amateur and kids game all the way up to professional, it stops you swallowing your own teeth and minimizes dentist bills quite significantly. In the top tier amateur and semi-pro/pro game, GPS tracking is becoming essential. With the evolution of sports science and the application of it in player load management, tracking players movements, heart rates and efforts throughout a training day. Any sport scientist, strength and conditioning coach or physio has utilized GPS trackers. They are essential to modern day sports performance. Any sport scientist also knows the gruelling task of having to wash and dry 35+ GPS vests 3 to 5 times per week, how many spin washes would that be? Even on the trusty 30 degree cold wash it can’t be great for the environment or the sports scientists will to live.  

This is where Orb Innovations come in. They have been making headlines recently with their new GPS tracking, head impact monitoring, mouthguard. After successful trials with professional men's and women’s teams in England, they’ve released their product for sale to the general public. The ORB Smartguard utilises RFID GPS tracking to monitor the wearers movements. Accelerometers, gyroscope and magnetometer monitor the forces you’re feeling, through a 12 axis 3D motion. This amazing piece of technology will give teams complete ease and peace of mind to monitor their players concussion rates, removing them from the field of play or training almost instantly. The data is transmitted live to any Bluetooth connected device such as an iPad. Meaning concussion protocols can be implemented as soon as possible, hopefully protecting the players longevity and health. This kind of innovation can only be good for the game. Everyone wears a gumshield anyway, so combining them with our GPS vest trackers is a step towards reducing carbon emissions right off the bat, reducing the amount of plastics uses in production, shipping and transport used in delivery and so on by combining both, never mind stopping the countless GPS vest washing machine cycles our sports scientists are responsible for!  

I ordered mine as soon as the Kickstarter went live. It’s a no brainer for me on both the concussion and carbon emission battles we face today as Rugby Union players and fans. I hope to see these take the amateur and professional game by storm. World Rugby would do well by making them mandatory at all levels. To make it even better, I received a positive email the other day from ORB, the impression kit being sent out to fit my GPS tracking mouthguard, is packaged in a reusable and recyclable plastic, what a nice touch!