Helmet Cameras, Wireless Communication May Be On The Way in 2016

Mavric

Mavric

Yoda
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College football is embracing technology.


The NCAA football rules committee wants to experiment with helmet cameras, wireless communication between coaches and players on the field and the use of computers on the sideline as coaching tools.

The committee announced Wednesday after two days of meetings in Indianapolis that it was hoping to gather data about expanding the use of technology in college football with an eye toward implementing rules as soon as the 2016 season.

"We'd like to get that rolling go forward," Air Force coach Troy Calhoun, who serves as the committee chairman. "Is that too ambitious? Is that too optimistic? I don't know. I think that's quite feasible."

The NCAA says several conferences proposed experimenting with these rules and Calhoun suggested the technology be used in five or six December bowl games during the 2015 season.

The helmet cameras would likely be placed on quarterbacks and used to allow coaches to see what the player is seeing on the field. While the committee wants the cameras for coaching, Calhoun acknowledged they could become part of a television broadcast.

"If it can go forward for more media use in a way maybe even for television to piggyback on it, hopefully that's even more beneficial going down the road," he said.

Wireless devices in helmets that allow coaches to give directions or play calls to quarterbacks and one defensive player are used in the NFL. Communication is allowed only between plays and cut off when the play clock reaches 15 seconds.

Calhoun said he'd like to have a similar rule in college football.
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So ban "heavy" facemasks but put a bunch of electronics in the helmet. Got it.

I would love to see helmet cams though.

 
Gotta think that in the next few years there will be added cameras all over the field to help catch every single angle.

Technology is great but it also takes some of the fun out of sports.

Except that yellow line that shows where the first down is... That is the greatest invention ever.

 
This has been tried so many times and always seems to fail.

The first version I remember being part of the "World League" circa 1990 and the most recent attempt being last year in the arena league. They made a big deal about it all off-season and then I think I saw it maybe twice both times jittery and nauseating.

I do remember an instance of the World League version getting knocked off a QB and rolling about 20 yards that was awesome. Must have been if I remember it all these years later.

 
A lot of this stuff is great for schools like Nebraska that have the money but it seems like it would be a nightmare for the small schools with the fraction of the budget. Microsoft paid huge amounts of money to the NFL for their modified Surface tablets to be use but I doubt they will pay for Central Michigan to do this. Maybe the NCAA will have a lot less rules to constrict the usage of technology during games than what you find in the NFL.

 
RunMickeyRun02 said:
This has been tried so many times and always seems to fail.

The first version I remember being part of the "World League" circa 1990 and the most recent attempt being last year in the arena league. They made a big deal about it all off-season and then I think I saw it maybe twice both times jittery and nauseating.

I do remember an instance of the World League version getting knocked off a QB and rolling about 20 yards that was awesome. Must have been if I remember it all these years later.
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To be fair, camera technology has come a long way since 1990. Just think how small a camera sensor is in a cell phone. Add in image stabilization and it just might work.

 
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jaws said:
RunMickeyRun02 said:
This has been tried so many times and always seems to fail.

The first version I remember being part of the "World League" circa 1990 and the most recent attempt being last year in the arena league. They made a big deal about it all off-season and then I think I saw it maybe twice both times jittery and nauseating.

I do remember an instance of the World League version getting knocked off a QB and rolling about 20 yards that was awesome. Must have been if I remember it all these years later.
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To be fair, camera technology has come a long way since 1990. Just think how small a camera sensor is in a cell phone. Add in image stabilization and it just might work.
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Yes, but the arena attempt was last year. I should have made that more clear sorry.

EDIT: Added link.

 
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ZRod said:
So ban "heavy" facemasks but put a bunch of electronics in the helmet. Got it.

I would love to see helmet cams though.
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Hard to put advertising on a facemask, but "this helmet cam angle is brought to you by go pro" will sell for the NCAA and NFL if/when they go to it. Thats what lies at the foot of this.

 
I'd like to see radios ala the NFL. I've never understood why college teams aren't allowed to leverage simple radios that we invented in the stone age.

 
Minnesota_husker said:
Gotta think that in the next few years there will be added cameras all over the field to help catch every single angle.

Technology is great but it also takes some of the fun out of sports.

Except that yellow line that shows where the first down is... That is the greatest invention ever.
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No kidding. I love that yellow line. Still trying to figure out how they paint that line so quick and then erase it!

 
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