Football Engineering

As we approach the NFC and AFC playoffs, has anyone considered what technologies could enhance US football?  Or, how can we be sure the team made the first down on 4th and inches?  Well, the folks at Carnegie Mellon are actually working on research projects focused on developing new technologies that can assist referees in making calls during specific game situations (e.g., determining the position of the ball when forward progress is stopped, determining whether a player has control of the ball). These key decisions can often change the momentum of a football game dramatically, and it would be useful to supplement the referee's decision-making process with additional information.

Using a combination of sensors, wireless protocols, and embedded devices, they are currently working on developing a smart football that can be tracked in real time in 3D space, even when it is obscured under a pile of players (making computer vision techniques difficult to use in such situations).  Additionally, they are working on enhancing other athletic equipment (e.g., gloves worn by the players) that is used during the game in order to track the players' contact with the football to determine their control and possession of the ball.  All of the sensory capabilities that are provided to the football equipment will allow the extraction of key statistics (e.g., hang time) that will inevitably be useful in training and coaching games, and not just on game day.  These technologies truly become enablers for sports intelligence, something we are very passionate about, and accelerate improvement for the athlete and the organization.