My next installment of football tech gets much more complex. For those who enjoyed my 101 course, 102 brings more advanced tech to keep you reading. This time I jump into secured iPads, weird looking mouthpieces, and a new sensor technology placed in the players uniform. You have graduated from what you see on the field (the focus of 101) to more of an information based approach in Football Tech 102. Enjoy!
Let's start small today, bite size even. Take a look below and see a new mouthpiece the Stanford football team is using.
X2 impact is a research company out of Washington who is trying to gather information on brain injuries. This big tasty looking mouthpiece packs a gyrometer and accelerometer to help measure the linear and rotational force of head impacts. These measurements will give us a better understanding of how a head injury can occur.
Right now these mouthpieces are being used in practice and games. The information they are trying to measure is direction of impact, speed of impact, G force, and probably a few other pieces of data that go way over my head.
Next, I'm going to move onto another measuring device you may have seen at the NFL scouting combine earlier this year. Watch my boy Julio Jones of the Atlanta Falcons below.
The Under Armor E39 has started a revolution on data collecting in sports. Collegiate and professional teams around the globe have started using monitors on their players to track things like speed, acceleration, and heart rate. Here is a more detailed explanation of what the E39 offers teams.
This high tech performance garment will be available to the public 2012 from Under Armour. I love that it connects through bluetooth so just about any mobile device these days could collect the data. And it boasts 2 GB of storage so you don't have to constantly download the data.
So what will teams be downloading all this data to? Well, if you ask the Ravens or Bucaneers it would be the iPad. This year both teams decided to ditch the playbook and give their players something more modern to help them keep there head in the game.
Teams are now having to get together with an IT specialist to outfit spiffy new iPads. The tablets these teams are giving players are fitted with high security measures. NFL teams for some reason think their playbooks are more important than national security secrets. When Ray Lewis takes home his iPad he has to type in a pass code to use it, and a 2nd pass code just to open the playbook. If Ray has a tough week and enters the wrong pass code 3 times, voila his data is erased and a call to IT has to be made.
One might think this will help reduce paper? Think again tree huggers. iPads are not allowed during games, and anything with a camera is prohibited from being used during practices so teams still have to print playbooks.
The iPads are more for security measures. If a player goes home he does not bring the playbook, which very easily can be photocopied. Instead, he brings home his iPad with all the information of the playbook. His iPad will also have game film, nutrition guides, and calendars.
Finally, I'm going to show you something all of us can enjoy and not just players and coaches.
If you are reading this article I would hope you enjoy watching football. Below is a quick demo of what Direct TV is offering on tablets now to help you catch the game.
That's something to keep all you fantasy players updated even away from home. If you haven't made the jump to a tablet yet there are some alternatives for mobile devices to keep you enjoying the game. Below is a nice review of NFL Mobile found on most smartphones using Verizon's network.
.I hope you have enjoyed my second course on football tech. Enjoy the game!
If you need a refresher feel free to read Football Tech 101 again.
