In the lead up to the big game, there were a lot of articles about how technology could improve your Super Bowl fan experience (and quite a few on the physics of balls, but we digress). With Superbowl XLIX over we thought we take a look at some technology that could improve the players of tomorrow:
- Customized footwear– With personally designed footwear, athletes could be performing at their peak. Footwear is an underrated but essential piece of equipment for every athlete and every sport. “Customization is key – everyone has a different running style. There are different stresses applied, so in order to design a perfect shoe you need to understand the different ways people run.” Says Prof V. Bill Baltzopolus who has been working on various shoe customization projects at Brunel University, London. We can now, on a simulation program, understand where the most pressure is in each person’s gait and test different materials for the sole or different thicknesses to protect the foot as best as possible.
Take a great athlete like the Seahawk’s Marshawn Lynch and put him in the best footwear possible – his “beast mode” running back tactics might just become unbreakable.
- Smart Technology on the Field – The NFL recently announced that it would start using Smart Technology on the field, but not to its full potential. Their use of radio frequency identification transmitters will be used to start gathering data on the players and their stats however we see a much bigger use. As technologies get lighter and more durable, it’s going to be possible to use real-time information on the field. One day, sensors built into the equipment will be able to tell you where the contact was and how strong the impact was, which could aid in diagnosing player injuries, or even help referees make consistent distinctions between “running into the kicker” and “roughing the kicker.” It might not sound like a huge distinction, but the difference between the penalties can be a real game changer.
Furthermore, if smart tech were placed on the players, the ball and the field boundaries, officiating calls would be a lot easier. Rather than an instant replay, referees could receive real-time precision data that would layout where each key player was in the play. This technology is already being developed for a different kind of football, also known as soccer to the American audience. Goal-line technology is already being used at the FIFA World Cup. The technology is currently camera-based and transmits a signal to the referees within one-second to let them know if the goal is good.
- Virtual Reality Training for Players – If the Madden simulation of Super Bowl XLIX can predict the exact score of the game (and get 8 out of the last 10 Super Bowl winners correct), then it’s clear that the technology is accurate enough to use for training. The NFL players could really benefit from being able to play against their next opponents as many times they want before ever stepping foot on the turf. Quarterbacks could use immersive reality technology to simulate hundreds of defensive formations and player reactions to help them fine-tune their pre-snap reads and check-downs, and see how different blocking and route-running scenarios can play out after the ball is snapped. In a game that comes out as close as 28-24, could a little extra practice playing against a simulation that thought and moved like your opponent have helped? We might have to wait until the technology is adopted by the NFL to find out, but it certainly couldn’t have hurt.
Our 3DEXPERIENCE technology is already being used in the world of equestrian sports to simulate a horse and rider as well as make changes to the course design. The ability to breakdown what is happening on the course and see it from any angle allows experts to better understand and then explain what is happening with the horse and rider. The same technology could be applied in a variety of settings, including football, to gain more knowledge about what’s happening on the field and how to best approach an opponent.
- Glove Stickiness – If you’re Jermaine Kearse, you may not need this product, but it could have made that incredible bobbling catch a little easier. While fumbles weren’t a big issue in XLIX, they can often be a game-changer in the Super Bowl. Chemical and bio-molecular engineers at the University of Maryland have been developing a new polymer that can restore the stickiness of gloves. If an athlete feels his gloves losing its grip, they would be able to fix it in seconds and get back in the game. When you’re trying to intercept your opponents’ touchdown pass, a little extra stick may be the difference between winning and losing.
Could these technologies have helped the Seahawks beat the Patriots? It’s hard to say right now, but these advances in technology are certainly going to change the way that the game is played and how our athletes perform.
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