Sensors Make the Game Safer

you can not go onto the pitch of a full contact sport and expect never to get hurt. i dont think that MEMS sensors are going to make sport safer to a degree where the cost is justified.

You're right. Injuries are a fact of life in full-contact sports such as football; however, I do wonder if the cost of MEMS sensors could be justified in a league such as the NFL, where players make millions.

The thing with real competitive sport is there has to be some risk to overcome. In college football, a large number of the guys do not continue after first year or two because of the physical demands, the pain that they endure constantly. This is the trial that each must endeavor to overcome. As we all know being a world class sprinter doesn't make you a good football player, if you are to delicate or lose your focus to go after the ball when you need to if there is a risk of pain (i am sure you can find someone in the 1980's 49's fits this bill). Alternately, so great football players do not meet all the maximum peak physical capabilities but have the heart to get the job done at any risk to themselves. This is what the term Heart means in such games. I have seen very small defensive backs go after much largeer full back at full speed and take them down. Obviously there is much more risk of injury to the defensive back. Sanders style of football is good for consistent betting, business endeavors relating to the activity. and makes women happier. I am not sure there is any real heart there. Everything doesn't need to absolutely safe. I would hate to see the day that cosmologists take more daily risk to their health than a professional athlete.

I appreciate your insights, Guest. We live in an age when some elementary schools won't let children play "tag" because someone might get hurt - physically or emotionally. Good grief!

And I do remember Renaldo Nehemiah. Have you seen his entry on Wikipeida? "His football career was not as successful as his track career".

Two points I'd like to make.

1) Contact Sports are inherently dangerous.

2) Technology is always looked at with suspicion.

So far the comments have been almost antagonistic to the tech. For those who are full of "Heart" but empty of "Head" go on take off all the technology that your using. That lightwieght plastic helmet, and pads. Heart and Head go together to make a good player, in any sport. The use of technology should be considered with an open mind as to the benifits and the risks. Many times the reward is not even to the cost. Sometimes the reward is so vast that it transforms the sport.

I know this is a rather old discussion, but I still would like to comment on a few things that I have read.

We do live in an age where people will barely allow their kids to play a game of dodgeball on the playground; but I don't think that that is necessarily relevant here. These new technologies as Jazzy said will always be viewed with skepticism at first. But, the point here is that these players ARE playing the games and it is without a doubt worth preventing major injuries. One of the most horrifying things I've ever seen was a coupld years ago when a Lions linebacker fell limp after a tackle and the game was put on hold for 30 minutes atleast. MEMS sensors will never prevent THAT from happening but it could allow for trainers and/or aids to know more quickly what did happen and how to correctly respond in a faster more efficient manner. We're not trying to keep these guys from playing dodgeball, we're just keeping an eye on those wicked head shots.

Along the lines of pricing, my understand is that while MEMs technology itself is not THAT new, it is only recently started to get the attention and funding necessary for proper research and development. Give it a few years and that 40 k price tag for those helmet sensors will drop drastically.