New 5G-Connected Football Helmets Help Deaf Players and Coaches Communicate Better
New 5G-Connected Football Helmets Help Deaf Players and Coaches Communicate Better
October 12, 2023
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AT&T has delivered a first-of-its-kind football helmet to Gallaudet University, the global leader in bilingual education for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, in Washington, D.C. AT&T and the Gallaudet University Bison teamed up to deliver a 5G-connected helmet that will help make it easier for coaches and players to communicate during games.
This innovative helmet allows coaches on the sideline to select a play from a tablet that will appear inside the helmet on a lens. The quarterback wearing the helmet will be receiving the play in augmented reality on the digital display located within the visor. AT&T 5G will help deliver the plays to ensure the Bison keep up with the pace of play without interruptions.
“We work out the same way as every other college football program, we practice the same way, we compete the same way,” said Chuck Goldstein, head football coach for Gallaudet. “The difference between coaching a hearing team compared to a Deaf team is first the communication. The AT&T 5G-connected helmet will change football.”
After two years of building and testing, the final product was approved by the NCAA and made its in-game debut on Saturday, October 7 in Gallaudet’s home game against Hilbert. The Bison were victorious in their 5G-connected helmets with a final score of 34-20.
“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 Vice President 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.”