Let the helmet make the call

NFL teams are chock-a-block with wireless gadgets communicating between players and coaches about anything from the next set of downs to whether a bootleg or a hook and ladder is statistically the best option.

But when the Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears, and Jacksonville Jaguars take the field, they have another layer of intelligence: They know how hard their players are getting hit in the head.

Tucked into their helmets are sensors connected to a wireless radio that sends back data every time Pisa Tinoisamoa brings the hammer down or quarterback Tony Romo gets sacked. If the hits come too hard, the sensors can activate a warning to pull the player for medical examination.

For $65,000, teams get 40 Riddell helmets modified by Simbex, the Lebanon, N.H., company that developed the system, along with built-in sensors, a wireless-enabled computer rig that collects the data on the sidelines, and the accompanying software.

It remains to be seen whether the teams will actually heed the results.

NEXT: The helmet sensors