A study has kicked-off at an American football game on the weekend which has seen injured players assessed for concussions by a sideline robot.

The robot is the latest example of a new wave of 'telemedicine' devices; it is designed to relay information on recent injuries to neurologists on standby who can rapidly assess whether a player has been concussed.

The medically-aware android will patrol the side of the field in upcoming Arizona University football games. The study seeks to compare the efficacy of remote assessments versus face-to-face diagnoses.

Bert Vargas, M.D., a neurologist at the head of the research, says “athletes at professional and collegiate levels have lobbied for access to neurologic expertise on the sideline. As we seek new and innovative ways to provide the highest level of concussion care and expertise, we hope that teleconcussion can meet this need and give athletes at all levels immediate access to concussion experts.”

With such a high amount of head injuries resulting from the sport, there has been a dire need to provide the most effective way to test for what could become permanent damage.

“There were a number of examples last football season where college football players clearly demonstrating concussion-like symptoms were quickly thrown back in games or weren't even taken out of the game for an evaluation,” said Ramogi Huma, executive director of the National College Players Association, “college football players are in desperate need for independent concussion experts on the sidelines, and this study could help make that safeguard a reality.”

"Teleconcussion is an excellent new example of connected care in action, as athletes with suspected concussion, anywhere and anytime, can be effectively connected to Mayo Clinic concussion knowledge and expertise," says Bart Demaerschalk, M.D., co-author of study, Director of Mayo Clinic Teleneurology and Telestroke, and Chair of American Academy of Neurology Telemedicine Work Group.