Mouthguards equipped with tracking technology have been used as part of a new study into concussion.
The mouthguards collect and wirelessly transmit details every time there is a collision.
New Zealand Rugby research scientist Danielle Salmon said the technology would provide insight into how players collided and how the impacts affected their health.
Collecting large amounts of collision data would allow researchers to develop new ways to coach the game that would fundamentally make it safer to play, Dr Salmon said.
Data collection at a community level had finished last week, with more than 620 athletes collecting data over the season.
There were about 3800 impacts collected across the season that could be studied, she said.
Those impacts could be cross-referenced with video footage to determine how injuries occurred.
There was still more data to collect, but she expected some findings by December and more progress next year.
Each mouthpiece cost about $300 to make, which was a small price to pay for safety, she said.
Learning how people collided was vital to creating a safer game at all levels.
Many female players learned how to play later in life and as such lacked the skills to take hits and fall safely.
Studying the data could reveal effective ways to train those players at risk and help them enjoy the game safely.
The data would ‘‘really make the game safer for everybody,’’ Dr Salmon said.
