Can AI detect concussion in boxers_ _ BBC News

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#Boxing #AI #BBCNews AI is being developed to detect concussion amongst boxers.   The tech is in its infancy, but the team behind it think it could be a game changer for the sport.   Jacqui Wakefield has been to investigate for Tech Now.  Subscribe here: http://bit.ly/1rbfUog  For more news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com/news   #Boxing #AI #BBCNews

Transcript

00:00This is the first fight where an artificial intelligence judge had been used in boxing.

00:12Heavyweights Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury fought in December,

00:16and while AI didn't decide the result, organisers said it made the fight fairer.

00:23Now, Dr. Cameron Marouf is developing artificial intelligence to detect concussion amongst boxers.

00:29The tech is still in its infancy, but the team thinks it could be a game changer.

00:34We've created an application which tracks the eye, the pupils of the users to really identify the onset of concussion.

00:44And the whole idea really for us was to make it non-invasive and to create a tool that's accessible in a sporting context.

00:53How does this technology work? How does the artificial intelligence tell when there's a concussion?

00:57The algorithm has learned to identify that if a person is following the motions correctly,

01:03if they're able to identify the blind spots correctly, whether they are showing signs of concussion or not.

01:10Because if somebody has experienced concussion, then often that cognitive ability to follow a straight line,

01:17a moving line, or identify things moving in your blind spot becomes impaired.

01:22Studies suggest that most professional boxers will suffer a brain injury in their career,

01:28which can increase risks of a host of diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

01:34Boxers are just like warriors, if you know what I mean.

01:36Like, they don't know what they're really doing, you know, like the harm that they're doing to themselves.

01:40And no one's going to quit. No one's going to throw a towel in and say, like,

01:43we don't want to fight in this situation anymore. They're just going to go till the end.

01:45So sometimes they need things like that to be brought in to stop them from hurting themselves.

01:51While boxing is governed by a strict set of rules that aim to protect fighters, injury can happen at any time.

01:58It's the green line here is representing the ball position.

02:03And the purple line is the eye tracking.

02:06It's pretty much in sync, both in terms of how long it's taking for the participant to see the change in the position,

02:14as well as how precisely they are following the movements.

02:18We could see this across the board here.

02:20However, if we then move on to a case of obvious concussion,

02:26you can see they are very different in terms of the tracking of the eye,

02:30the positioning of the ball, so they're not clearly seeing the ball,

02:34and how long it's taking for them to respond to any changes.

02:37If you saw these results, how worried would you be?

02:39Very worried.

02:40You know, even though there are milliseconds difference,

02:43in every single one of these tests we've found,

02:46and there's huge discrepancies and difference between the ball movement

02:51and how long it's taking for them to respond.

02:54And essentially, that's why we have those six tests to kind of give us a broader perspective

02:58on the likeliness of this being a serious concussion

03:03compared to maybe a minor concussion or kind of minor trauma.

03:10If a boxer is knocked out as a result of a blow to the head

03:13or they're diagnosed with a concussion by the ringside doctor,

03:17they're suspended from boxing for 28 days.

03:20If the tech picks up a concussion, boxers may have to pull out of upcoming matches.

03:26Callum, who recently retired from boxing,

03:28isn't sure if it's something he would have wanted to use

03:30if early detection meant he couldn't fight.

03:33It's not just also for a bit of glory,

03:35but also you've got to pay the bills.

03:37People, it's their full-time career and they put that much into it.

03:39You can't just, if you've sold them 100 tickets that's at £40 a piece,

03:45you can't just turn around and say, oh, no, I'm not boxing now.

03:49In a boxing match, doctors watch closely.

03:52But in training, there is no checks,

03:54meaning concussion could be building at any time.

03:59Callum and Khalid tested out the technology post-sparring to see their results.

04:03So we'll just bring up Callum's results and pretty much, as we can see here,

04:09it's clear to see consistency across the board.

04:12In general, across the six tests, no signs of concussion

04:15and pretty much clear for us to see that he's doing pretty well.

04:19We've got Callum's results.

04:21Could you let us know, how is he?

04:23So pretty good signs.

04:24So as we could see here,

04:26there's consistency between the ball position and the eye tracking,

04:30both in terms of the position

04:31and also how long it was taking Khalid to respond to the movements

04:37and not a right lot to worry about.

04:42With the early concussion detection,

04:45do you think that's something that boxers would trust and heed

04:48or do you think it's something that they would want to kind of press through?

04:52I'm sure there'd be some boxers that would have some complaints

04:55if they did this new test

04:57and it said, oh, no, you're not fit to box anymore

05:00or you shouldn't be having this fight.

05:02I'm sure there'd be some that, I know personally I'd have complained,

05:05but now looking back, it'd have gone,

05:07well, probably a good job that that did happen.

05:11Some boxers probably do come into their professional fights

05:13and they're not, like, 100% there,

05:17like whether they've suffered concussion in their training.

05:21There's things being done, but there needs to be more.

05:24What we really want to do is to scale this

05:26so it can be utilised in competitive boxing matches,

05:31be it amateur boxing or professional boxing as well.

05:34And, of course, that's boxing.

05:35There are a host of other sports that could benefit from this tech.

05:51So, that's an option.

05:52We'll see you in the next one.

05:54We'll see you in the next few days.

05:54We'll see you in the next two months.

05:54So, just keep watching.

05:56You're going to be in the next one.

05:56We'll see you in the next two minutes.

05:58You

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