Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This is NOT a crash sensor. I repeat, this device is NOT a crash sensor. Let me explain. First, I am not affiliated with ICEdot in any way. I do not work for, speak for, or represent their company or any competitors. I am a Medical Internist who ran a 270-bed Head Trauma Rehab center, so I have quite a bit of experience in head trauma. I follow the CTE data quite closely and am interested in sports injuries as a former soccer and lacrosse coach, both associated with plenty of head trauma and concussions. Further, I am familiar with the MIPS system in bike helmets for reducing head trauma. MIPS (Multi-directional Impact Protection System) helmets (made by Scott and others) have an inner liner that rotates inside the outer shell, designed to protect the head better than one that fits directly onto the head. The data as I read it does not fully support these claims yet, but it’s certainly better than the standard helmet design, which has not changed in about 30 years. I posted a YouTube video (search for “ICEdot crash sensor review” and look for the one by R. Weil) to demonstrate my inability to get it to activate. ICEdot CEO Chris Zenhoefer contacted me after viewing it, which I really appreciated. He took an hour to discuss why my video produced no activations. Here it is, in a nutshell. The ICEdot device has both an accelerometer to detect LINEAR FORCES, and a gyroscope to detect ANGULAR FORCES. His interpretation of concussion study data is that both linear AND angular forces are required to create enough impact to cause head trauma to produce concussions and loss of consciousness/disorientation. Their proprietary algorithm takes the accelerometer and gyroscope force data into account, and decides when the impact is enough to warrant a call home. I don’t necessarily agree with that conclusion. Studies show that linear forces alone, without angular velocity changes, are often enough to create an environment sufficient to cause concussions. Why doesn’t the video, where I smash my helmet on the desk, cause activation? Per Chris, because there was not enough change of ANGULAR velocity change to warrant it. Further, concussions tend to happen when a head strikes something and BOUNCES in the other direction, causing damage to the other side of the brain. So, when the front of the brain suffers damage when it hits the wall, when it bounces back, the BACK of the brain suffers impact as well. Since my video didn’t do that, the algorithm didn’t consider it sufficient impact. In my opinion, when I actually CRACK my helmet’s outer shell on a cement floor with a linear force blow, that should be enough to set off the sensor. Further, when I toss the helmet out of my second floor window, it similarly should set it off, which it did not. Chris countered that 1) it was onto grass and 2) there was not enough angular velocity change involved. He admitted that yes, I could have suffered a broken leg, neck, back, punctured lung, and all sorts of other injuries, but since my HEAD didn’t suffer concussive forces per their algorithm, there is no reason for activation of the device to call home. So, you need to understand what you’re getting. If you expect activation when you fall off your bike at 25mph and roll repeatedly to dissipate the force, yet don’t strike your head and have it bounce back, even though you may be dying from internal injuries, do NOT expect ICEdot to call home for help. It’s not designed for that as I understand it. If you’re looking for a HEAD CONCUSSIVE FORCE DETECTOR, and you trust their algorithm, then yes, this is a device you should consider. If, however, you’re looking for an IMPACT SENSOR, which is how it’s advertised in all the media and their own website (www.ICEDOT.org), you will likely be as disappointed as I am in the device as currently configured. To his credit, Chris is working on updating the device based upon user feedback, and he asked that I contact him with any other issues that arise. However, I’ll be returning mine (the third I’ve tried, none of which I was able to easily activate and ruined a $79 helmet while trying) as the $150 to detect concussions, which he can’t advertise as such because ICEdot is not a medical device company, is not worth it. It should be labeled “ICEdot, the first HEAD CONCUSSIVE FORCE DETECTOR”, and eliminate the CRASH SENSOR descriptor from the ads. That would be more accurate. If you have questions about my experience, write and I’ll check back periodically.