High-tech helmet holds promise for deaf American football players
Coach Chuck Goldstein often finds himself jumping up and down on the sidelines of the field -- trying, in vain, to get his players' attention. That's because all but one of the players on the Gallaudet University American football team, in Washington, are all deaf or hard of hearing. "If our player is not looking at us, they're not gonna know what we're telling them," Goldstein tells AFP.
That's what makes the helmet Goldstein is holding in his hands so revolutionary: it is equipped with an augmented-reality eyepiece that can display play calls to the team on the field.
"We communicate fast, just like any other team in the country, but the difference is our players, they don't hear whistles," sometimes leading to penalties, Goldstein says.
"It's never ever a level playing field."
But now, the possibilities are "endless."
Gallaudet was founded in 1864, and to this day is one of the country's premier schools for the deaf.
Its football team also holds a vaunted place in American football history.
They're credited with inventing the sport's iconic huddle, in an 1894 game against another deaf team to prevent them from figuring out their plays -- a distinct possibility when communicating openly in ASL (American Sign Language).
The experimental helmets might just be the university's next communications contribution to the sport.
Developed by telecoms giant AT&T, they mostly look like classic football helmets: hard shell exterior, grilled face mask, and the bison mascot logo on the side.
Plus the clear, plastic lens hanging over one eye.
Coaches send in the play calls from the sidelines via a tablet.
"It allows deaf and hard of hearing athletes to see play calls as quickly as their opponents can hear them," says Andrew Bennett, assistant
Read more on tech.hindustantimes.com
