Dartmouth Football revolutionizing safety standards

Helmet to Helmet contact could cause potential head trauma prompting Dartmouth college to add a robotic team member to the roster. Photo by Kieren Wilson

By Kieren Wilson

There is a new MVP on the Dartmouth University football team and it isn’t a five star high school recruit but a” Mobile Virtual Player.” Dartmouth football program has introduced a robot tackling dummy to the practice fields and it might not be the last robot we see on the football field.

The 5 foot 11 inch tall robot is said to weigh approximately 200 lbs and “rolls” a 40 yard dash in a realistic 4.8 seconds. This machine is utilized by the Dartmouth football program to decrease the amount of live contact players see on a daily basis, which in turn reduces the risk of concussion and injury. The mobile tackling dummy is remote controlled by a coach and can move extremely similar to an actual human player which is a great simulator of game action without the danger of players hurting each other in practice.

Engineering students Elliot Kastner and Quinn Connell are the two individuals who are primarily responsible for the development of the MVP. Although the MVP is still in a prototype stage two are being utilized during football practices at Dartmouth and a third one is currently being developed.

Each MVP cost about $3,500 to create, but Kastner and Quinn could see their investment yield great returns as three NFL teams have already contacted the Dartmouth Head football coach to inquire about the robots.

” I can definitely see this type of machine being useful to lessen the wear and tear on players” said Kent Anderson, Waldorf head football coach. “Nowadays you want guys to be physical, but at what cost? I think a robotic tackling dummy would be a great way for guys to practice technique without causing potential injury to our own players.”

So far Quin and Kastner have three NFL teams and our very own Kent Anderson on board. Could we see robotic tackling dummies become the safety standards in american football one day? I guess we will just have to find out.