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.
On VF Hive, we're joined by the crew at Vanity Fair's Hive to discuss Oprah's White House ambitions and Steve Bannon's next moves. Then on Between Bells, we break down the new allegations against James Franco and the Lavar Ball drama sweeping the NBA.
The most talked about person in the NBA isn't even in the NBA. FHM Magazine's Nick Dimengo discusses the media firestorm surrounding Lavar Ball and his increasingly outspoken comments about his son's team, the Los Angeles Lakers.
Chris Heck, president of business operations for the Philadelphia 76ers, discusses the NBA playing a game in London. He also talks the league's jump into esports.
The Philadelphia 76ers' President of Business Operations, Chris Heck, says that the NBA is a "truly international league."
The first tip is to not have an ego, "accept what you're not good at, and get help with those things."
2017 was not an easy year for Under Armour, as the stock fell over 50%. Jim Mollica, Head of Global Consumer Engagement and Digital Marketing at Under Armour, discusses how the company is using technology to revitalize the brand.
CEO and Founder of Chat Sports James Yoder talks Trump and the thrilling NCAA Football national championship. Yoder says some fans were delayed getting into the stadium by as much as 45 minutes thanks to the President's presence. Traffic also came to a standstill in downtown Atlanta.
College football championships kick off Monday evening. Alabama's Crimson Tide is taking on the Georgia Bulldogs. Last week's semifinals achieved one of cable history's highest viewerships, and ESPN saw double digit audience growth year-over-year. ThePostGame.com Senior Editor Jeff Eisenband and FiveThirtyEight's Senior Sportswriter Neil Paine explain their expectations for the final.
Professional Bull Riders is celebrating its 25th season with a huge event at Madison Square Garden January 5th. Sean Gleason, CEO of Professional Bull Riders, and two-time World Champion bull rider J.B. Mauney, aka "the John Wayne of PBR", join Cheddar to discuss the fast-growing sport.
Kalanick sells Uber shares, and Apple admits vulnerability. Plus Michael Wolff's controversial book "Fire and Fury" hits shelves today, and the east coast digs out from the "Bomb Cyclone."
