After two years working alongside Gallaudet (D-III - Washington, DC), AT&T has unveiled an impressive new helmet technology that could have a major impact far behind the football and sports world.
AT&T developed a 5G connected helmet that has found a way to bridge the communication gap for a team in Gallaudet that is global leader in education for the deaf and hard of hearing.
“We work out the same way as every other college football program, we practice the same way, we compete the same way,” Gallaudet head coach Chuck Goldstein shared in AT&T's release.
“The difference between coaching a hearing team compared to a Deaf team is first the communication."
AT&T has found a way for technology to bridge that communication gap.
The new helmet technology will equip coaches with a tablet on the sideline that is able to send a message to a small augmented reality display within the helmet for the player.
After seeing it in action, and contributing to its development, Goldstein believes its the type of product that will change football.
AT&T sees football as just the starting point for the technology and could see it being used in a variety of industries where helmets are used including improving safety on construction sites, and branching out to first responders to increase effective communication.
The product is the result of two years of collaboration between the Gallaudet program and AT&T.
As a token of their appreciation for helping with the major project, AT&T is donating $500,000 to Gallaudet as well as a new helmet to every player in addition to the 5G connected helmet and devices.
The new technology will be used for the first time for their game this weekend in their home tilt against Hilbert College.