A colour-changing crystal device worn on a soldier’s uniform could reveal the intensity of bomb blasts they have been exposed to, helping doctors to treat brain injuries that are too subtle to be detected by brain scans.
Soldiers in the Iraq war frequently suffer from blast-related traumatic brain injury following exposure to shock waves emanating from improvised explosive devices. Much of the damage sustained from such blasts cannot be detected from an MRI scan, but can still have clinical consequences. If doctors can get a measure of the intensity of the blast, it will help them gauge the severity…
