NFL preseason starts in just a few weeks. This year, it will come with a bit of a technological upgrade. The league plans to experiment with custom microchip-equipped footballs. Unfortunately, this move has nothing to do with policing under-inflation — the idea is to verify through hard data that a narrower set of goal posts would mean fewer successful kicking plays.
Why? Kicking plays across the league have been more accurate than ever in the last couple of seasons, and the NFL would like things to be a bit more competitive. Just last year, extra point kicks were moved back from the 20 to the 33-yard line. Kickers already use brand-new balls that are harder and more slippery than the field balls, so narrowing the goal from the standard 18’6″ width is the natural next step. A corresponding pair of sensors in the uprights will reveal exactly how close the ball is when it passes between them.
The chips will only be in K-balls, and only in those kicked during the 2016 preseason. If all goes well, the league may continue their use in Thursday night games this season. We couldn’t find any detail on these custom-made chips, but assume that it’s some kind of transmitter/receiver pair. Let the speculation begin.
Main image: Field goal attempt during the Fog Bowl via Sports Illustrated
[via Gizmodo]
it seems pointless to use microchipped balls when the same could be accomplished with photoeyes along the horizontal of the posts
But microchipped balls do make you think that the future of sports could be interesting.
But a ball with a chip in it could be verified to be authentic and thus fetch a much, much higher price when sold to fans. The only thing the NFL cares about in the game is how much more money they can pull in.
They enforce rules because otherwise angry fans would start boycotting games; they care about stopping domestic violence because the bad press was affecting ticket and memorabilia sales; they care about how exciting games are so they have more eyeballs glued to the screen and watching more advertisements.
Ouch!
Lol, someone had to say it!
#clickbait_title
If they chip your balls, are they easier to find when they get lost? ;-)
Yes.
Aannnyyyywwaayyy…
I find this quite interesting. There was one hell of a debate that started during the ‘deflategate’ ‘scandal’. Not sure how it will play out.
Chipped, not chapped. Whew!
just coming here to say, FREE BRADY!!!!!
Lol, hi there brother! :D
Put RFID pressure sensors in the field balls. Free Brady!
Like this: https://hackaday.io/project/7077-rfid-air-pressure-sensor
Brass balls are easily chipped.
Coming eventually, sensor equipped helmets to keep total concussive load within reasonable parameters. Probably a bit more important actually.
1) Already exists: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/business/a-wearable-alert-to-head-injuries-in-sports.html
2) Equip the player with sensors, not the gear. It’s more interesting.
I never understood the desire of sports regulators to make the game harder and harder just because a few people figured out how to play it better. The same thing is true in a lot of types of racing. Years ago a team could innovate and invent to make their cars go faster, now the cars are all cookie-cutter copies and any innovations are banned (examples: NASCAR and F1).
I think the NFL would be a lot better off if they spent their efforts in finding a way to prevent their players from all getting head injuries every time they play.
I like the stories about NASCAR “innovation” more than I like watching the races. My favorite is legendary mechanic Smokey Yunick supersizing the fuel line to circumvent the limitation on fuel tank capacity (http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a6138/top-nascar-engineering-cheats/).
Actually in the 1980s, while I was living in NC, I was involved in a project to monitor CO inside of the car. A data logger was constructed and installed inside of the car of a popular driver at both the Talladega and Charlotte races. We flew under the radar of NASCAR. When comparing time stamped data with the video of the race, you could see very direct correlation of CO concentration and how the cars were bunched up. Some of the air systems you see in cars today were a result of those efforts.
Actually, in the 1980s, I was involved in a project to monitor CO inside of a car during races at Talladega and Charlotte. This was under the radar of NASCAR, but blessed by several drivers that showed symptoms of CO poisoning (who made our project possible). Those findings contributed to the driver air systems you see in the cars today.
F1 is all about innovation. The idea is that you need some limitations to get around to find innovations. Formula 1 is the furthest from a cookie cutter series.. What you are referring to is a spec series in which all the cars are the same so that the racing depends solely on the skill of the driver. It is not a way to hinder the skill required, but to make the skill only on the driver, while other ones are team sports.
Remember NHL Glow Puck?
The one that turned into a “comet” depending on speed?
That was really fun to learn about just now. :)
It’s kinda ridiculous looking, but I imagine there are some that liked the overlay.
They should call it the Telemetry Of Measured Ball Resilience And Determined Yield system.
I am currently trying to put my pressure sensors in footballs. It doesn’t require a battery, so it should last for the life of the ball: https://hackaday.io/project/7077-rfid-air-pressure-sensor
I will have prototypes in about a week.
Shame nobody ever thought of putting then in tires or something… … … …
I made it for my bike tires, so I’m getting prototypes of those too. I wasn’t sure about the use case for car tires, but it would work in them too.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tire-pressure_monitoring_system
But the catch is in the wiki article: “TPMS report real-time tire-pressure information…”. My sensor only has a range of about 2 inches, so it wouldn’t be very useful as a real time TPMS.