By Stephen Whyno
AT&T and Gallaudet University have developed a football helmet for players who are deaf or hard of hearing and communicate using American Sign Language.
The company and Washington-based school for students who are deaf or hard of hearing unveiled the new technology Thursday.
It allows a coach to call a play on a tablet from the sideline that then shows up visually on a small display screen inside the quarterback’s helmet. Gallaudet, which competes in Division III, was cleared by the NCAA to use the helmet in its game on Saturday at home against Hilbert.
Gallaudet coach Chuck Goldstein said he thinks the helmet “will change football.”
“We work out the same way as every other college football program, we practice the same way, we compete the same way," Goldstein said. “The difference between coaching a hearing team compared to a Deaf team is first the communication.”
The final product is the result of almost two years of communication between the team and AT&T, which came up with the concept as a way to close the inclusion gap for the Deaf community with its 5G network.
“We came up with ideas on how to make this helmet more effective (and) we’d interact with (players and coaches)," said Corey Anthony, AT&T senior VP of networking engineering and operations. "They would give us feedback. We’d go back, make changes, work on it. It’s just a beautiful relationship that we have with that university.”
Anthony said the company also leaned on employees who are deaf or hard of hearing during the process.
“This is probably one of the more sort of exciting and enriching projects that we’ve worked on in a very long time,” he said.
Super Bowl Champion Darrell Revis is now the face of online bookmaker PointsBet's digital sportsbook, launching later this month. Revis and PointsBet CEO Johnny Aitken told Cheddar how they're trying to educate consumers about legal sports betting.
The Golden State Warriors' star-studded lineup and three championship rings over the last four seasons have been a major revenue driver for the team's business, but the next phase of growth will rely on local real estate, said the team's chief financial officer Jennifer Cabalquinto.
The subject of gambling and esports has become a point of serious tension for gamers. For companies like Unikrn, which built its platform on the practice of esports betting, battling that stigma is a central, implicit part of the operation. According to CEO and co-founder Rahul Sood, the company is determined to make betting on esports a “safe, legal, and relegated” space.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know.
Four years ago, Aziz “Hax$” Al-Yami was one of the best Super Smash Bros. Melee players in the world. But after suffering what he said felt like “an explosion” in his left wrist, Hax’s once-impressive tournament performances were marred by serious physical pain. So he found his own solution: a different type of controller. Hax talked to Cheddar Sports about his life-changing design.
Disney's new streaming service and its acquisition of Fox assets will be the main fixation when the entertainment giant reports earnings and revenue after market close on Thursday.
Alex Rodriguez parlayed a lucrative and controversial baseball career into a successful second act as the CEO of his own investment firm, A-ROD Corp. He spoke to Cheddar about his investment strategy.
Kip Levin, president and COO of FanDuel Group, said that the partnership with the New Jersey Devils will be helpful in expanding the FanDuel experience. New Jersey was the second state to legalize sports betting, opening up opportunities with companies like FanDuel and DraftKings.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know.
Orangetheory Fitness may have the signature buzz of a workout fad, but CEO Dave Long has a plan to ensure the longevity of the fitness franchise ー and of its members. His idea? Data.
