Exciting changes in NFL football helmets are taking
place. According to Tony Egues, Head Equipment Manager of the Miami
Dolphins, it is not unlikely for the future football helmets to be
equipped with the Sideline Response System technology. The electronic
readers of the Sideline Response System have the ability to measure the
force a player is subjected to upon impact apart from providing vital
signs during the game. The information gathered by these readers and
the changes in NFL football helmets may prevent not just injuries but
permanent disability and even death among the players.
During a
recent meeting between team physicians and athletic trainers of the NFL
and the NCAA, Mr. Egues presented what he foresees are the changes in
NFL football helmets. He estimates that these changes will take place
at a rapid pace, probably in the next three to five years.
For
Mr. Egues the changes in NFL football helmets will be fueled largely by
technology. The football helmets five years from now will be equipped
with the Sideline Response System Technology which can measure body
temperature and heart rate in real time. Currently, prototypes of these
revolutionary helmets are being tested in the NCAA and on several high
school teams.
Mr. Egues anticipates further that the changes will
go beyond than merely monitoring the condition of the players in real
time. For him, these changes may very well enable manufacturers to
produce helmets tailored to meet the exact needs of each player.
As
exciting as the direction the changes in NFL football helmets is going,
Mr. Egues regards the Sideline Response System technology with a lot of
caution. He admits that the technology is still at its infancy. He
emphasizes that the welfare of the most precious commodity of the
league, the athletes, is still the primary concern of the research. He
assures the league, team owners and the players that they will
incorporate the technology in the helmets only after it has been
perfected. More importantly, he admits that incorporating the latest
technology for the sake of technology is not necessarily beneficial to
the league and the athletes. The relevance and necessity of the
technology will still have to be established before it is incorporated
formally into the league's helmet design.
Mr. Egues expressed his
fear of becoming too dependent on the technology. While the Sideline
Response System has the ability to measure the force the player
sustains during the game, human intervention is still necessary. Mr.
Egues emphasizes that the team physician will be the one to decide,
based on the data from the helmet, if the player needs to be pulled-out
of the game and not the Sideline Response System.
These
hesitations notwithstanding, Mr. Egues remains optimistic about the
impending changes in NFL football helmets and he is not alone. The
manufacturers are conducting their own research on how to improve
helmet safety. Mr. Egues welcomes these independent studies by
manufacturers. He notes that more research can only lead to better
helmet designs.
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