Artificial intelligence could soon turn an athlete鈥檚 mouthguard into a life-saving device, more accurately predicting brain injuries and advancing safety far beyond the NFL. John Templeton, assistant professor in the USF Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing, is working on a smart mouthguard that will have real-world impact.
The custom-fit mouthguard is equipped with multiple sensors that not only track head movement but also postural control and autonomic function. The addition of measuring real-time bite force as related to postural control, in addition to autonomic functions of heart rate, blood oxygen and body temperature, will allow for more personalized detection and understanding of head injuries. AI algorithms will help interpret the vast data these sensors collect, distinguishing between routine impacts and potentially concussive events in ways humans alone cannot. The device will offer more accurate and personalized assessments for athletes, but also has potential for military personnel, elderly people and workers in high-risk environments.
To advance the development of the smart mouthguard, Templeton鈥檚 lab was among a select group to receive a $25,000 grant from the Florida High Tech Corridor Early Stage Innovation Fund, a program designed to spur the broader impact and commercialization USF-invented technologies. The grant will support improvements to the device鈥檚 design, sensor calibration and the creation of a mobile app for live data review, helping bring this advanced monitoring system closer to real-world use and broader adoption.
鈥淚t was conceptualized as the crossover of biomedical engineering devices and computer science 鈥� to use this data to predict concussive impacts,鈥� Templeton said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting to merge my two disciplines into one project.鈥�
Templeton鈥檚 SHIELD Lab works on smarter health by innovating, enabling and linking devices. The smart mouthguard fits with his research mandate and uniquely positioned skillset.
A uniquely interdisciplinary approach
Traditional computer scientists often focus on a single discipline, such as computer vision, and then apply it to areas such as biometrics, autonomous vehicles or medical imaging, Templeton looks across all of computer science for solutions to specific problems.
鈥淢y goal as a researcher is to flip the traditional perspective. I apply any and every computer science and engineering principle to health care, using tools like computer vision, machine learning, AI and mobile applications,鈥� Templeton said.
Templeton and his lab work with public health, medicine and nursing professionals on projects ranging across cancer, cardiology, neurology and biomechanics, among many others. The SHIELD lab team currently includes eight doctoral students and six master鈥檚 students, as well as several undergraduate researchers. They partner with several clinicians to directly work on translatable outcomes.
A mobile application from his lab is already in active use with two clinical populations in the neurological space, Parkinson鈥檚 disease and traumatic brain injuries, in partnership with USF鈥檚 Center for Innovation Technology and Aging and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Group, respectively.
鈥淎ll of the tools we develop and work on are meant to get in the hands of patients and doctors,鈥� Templeton added. 鈥淭he goal is to get these tools to a state where we can put it in the app store for real world use. Making open-access screening tools, creating database systems and providing usable AI for researchers to use should improve patient outcomes and directly impact researchers and clinicians.鈥�
Templeton鈥檚 collaborations span USF Health, the Veteran鈥檚 Administration, Tampa General Hospital and the USF College of Public Health, evidence of the Bellini College鈥檚 reach across disciplines and institutions. For example, he is working in partnership with the College of Public Health and the Tampa911爆料网ll Community Garden and Food Pharmacy at Tampa General Hospital on a mobile application for food-insecure populations with diagnoses like obesity or diabetes.
鈥淚nterdisciplinary research means listening to clinicians鈥� and patients鈥� real needs, not just our interpretation of who needs what,鈥� Templeton said. 鈥淚t means being engaged with all the relevant populations and it all starts with getting the right people in the room together.
A lifelong intersection of health care and technology
A lifelong athlete and the youngest of a family of engineers and medical practitioners, Templeton grew up interested in engineering and medicine. He was interested in biomechanics, injury prevention and rehabilitation, so he headed to Arizona State University to earn two degrees in biomedical engineering, where he worked on projects leveraging mobile apps and wearable devices to improve health outcomes.
Templeton went on to earn a doctorate in computer science and engineering in 2022 from the University of Notre Dame. Notre Dame recently recognized his contributions as part of their 2025 Domer Dozen, a collection of young alumni selected for their achievements in areas such as education, health care and public service.
Within his lab, Templeton sees his own excitement about health care applications reflected in the students working with him and the research support system he鈥檚 created for them.
鈥淢ost of them have either experienced a personal or familial connection with the project they鈥檙e working on, which makes it impactful for them, to see how it can help people moving forward,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e excited about what you鈥檙e working on, whether it鈥檚 cancer, cardiology or neurology, it鈥檚 not work. I like to partner with clinicians and have my students support each other, even under different conditions, to drive the computer science application, and then I fill in the gaps on the medical domain side.
鈥淚 love the intersection of teaching, research and application, having the freedom to come up with these projects in my lab that turn into translatable, impactful tools,鈥� Templeton said. "This is where I鈥檓 supposed to be.鈥�