Gallaudet University coach: “The AT&T 5G-connected helmet will change football”
A new 5G device debuted in college football this past weekend: An augmented-reality football helmet with a small, integrated screen, designed to receive and present visual information about plays to Gallaudet University’s quarterback.
Gallaudet University serves students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, and the university’s football team, the Bison, faces on-field communications challenges that other teams do not, like the risk of miscommunications about the next play, or missing a whistle from a referee.
“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.”
The helmet was used during a Saturday NCAA Division III home game for the Bison, against Hilbert College (which Gallaudet won, 34-20). The helmet, worn by the school’s quarterback, has a lens inside the helmet. Coaches on the sideline use a tablet to send play information that then appears on the augmented reality digital display. AT&T says that its 5G connectivity “provides the reliability and low latency for plays to be sent and received at a speed that keeps up with the pace of the game.”
AT&T collaborated on the helmet’s development and use with Gallaudet players and coaches, and the carrier is also donating $500,000 to the school’s football program.
While this particular instance of the use of 5G makes football more inclusive, AT&T also emphasized that “even more possibility exists in any environment where there’s a need for a helmet and instant communication” such as improving safety for construction workers or first responders, or expanded job opportunities for the deaf community if information can be presented quickly and visually.
“We’ll continue to work with partners to explore how this technology and software can be more widely adopted and create meaningful change, both in sports and beyond,” the operator said in a blog post. Corey Anthony, SVP of network engineering and operations at AT&T, said that the 5G-equipped football helmet proves that “connecting changes everything” and it has “opened up endless possibility for innovation.”
“The new AT&T 5G-connected helmet will have a major impact on the game of football, especially for our deaf and hard of hearing players who lacked direct access to communications with their coaches during their high school years,” said Shelby Bean, special teams coordinator and former player for Gallaudet University. “This will help to level the playing field for mainstreamed athletes. As a former player, I am very excited to see this innovative technology change our lives and the game of football itself.”
