Better mousetraps: How inventors plan to change football

Sensors inside the helmet relay collision information to a computer on the sideline. The system helps trainers assess how serious a player’s head injury might be. Even if the system never gets to the NFL, it could answer questions such as whether large neck muscles help mitigate injuries, notes John Stephens, director of operations at Simbex, the Lebanon, N.H., company that developed the HIT System.

Some Division I teams, including the University of Oklahoma and Virginia Tech, are using the system.

Colleges often are the testing ground for on-field technology. Schools and coaches at that level may be more daring and curious than the owners of multimillion-dollar pro teams. New equipment can also debut in high school games, where parents are much more receptive to new safety measures.

But sometimes, it takes the deep pockets of pro leagues to push innovation. Wilson, the official provider of balls to the NFL, has a new material that provides a better grip. The company runs a large R&D lab devoted to equipment for the pros – and making sure no garage inventor one-ups them.

While some of the new technologies sound exotic, small change has always been a part of football.

Mr. Summerall, who played in the 1950s, notes that shoulder pads once soaked up sweat and got very heavy. By the end of the game, players lost a lot of their speed. Now, pads are made of plastic or composites, and players are nearly as fast in the fourth quarter as the first.

But even with the new equipment and new data, some things will remain the same, says Summerall. All the technology in the world can’t replace a good referee. “One thing the NFL doesn’t want to take out of the game is a certain amount of drama,” he says.

New technology in other sports

Baseball: A bat is traditionally made of a single piece of wood – often ash or maple. Lately, some manufacturers have experimented with bats crafted from layers of wood. The new process creates bats that are more flexible and resist breaking. Asian teams have adopted new materials, such as bamboo, which allow for lighter bats with as much strength as traditional woods. Bamboo is also a greener choice, as it takes only a short time to regrow. In the United State, the Brett Brothers Bat Company has been offering both layered and bamboo models. So far, the layered bats have been approved for use in some minor leagues.

Hockey: Harder metals aren’t the only way to improve skates. Thermablade, a Canadian company, makes ice skates that come with a built-in battery that heats the blade, reducing surface friction. The National Hockey League tested the new skates during practices and a few games last year, and retired star Wayne Gretzky has signed on as a Thermablade investor.

Basketball: In Australia, a team at the University of Sydney is testing basketball uniforms that display game information on small panels sewn onto the fabric and connected to an iPod-sized device. The uniform could show how many points a player has scored and track his or her personal fouls.

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