Jess Drage, a football player for Actonian Football Club, has tried out the device

Three rugby union clubs in England are to begin trialling scanning technology to monitor players' brain health.

Researchers hope a device which measures brain patterns could help medical personnel spot and manage concussion, and make sports safer.

The work is still in its infancy, but the idea is to get a baseline scan to use for comparison if an injury occurs.

It is one of a number of projects aimed at improving how contact sports deal with concussion risk.

The WAVi device involves a series of sensors being placed on the scalp to measure electrical activity, which produces a set of readings. It is one of several similar devices being developed around the world.

East London Rugby Club, Cornish Pirates and Sevenoaks Rugby Club are taking part in the trial.

The initiative is backed by not-for-profit organisation Love of the Game, whose president is former English rugby union player Simon Shaw. The organisation's chairman is Laurence Geller, the ministerial adviser appointed by government to examine concussion in sport.

From the BBC News website - click on the image above for the full story

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