SoylentNews

An Anonymous Coward writes:

IEEE has a story about how former Dartmouth students (including a former Dartmouth football player) have created a Robot Football player that may help prevent concussions. It works by having the robot tackled during practice instead of a person getting hit.

The current version is like a giant Weeble controlled by a coach. The Pittsburg Steelers like them and have bought two so far.

As summarized on the Mobile Virtual Player web site:

Buddy Teevens, head football coach at Dartmouth College, was tired of his players injuring one another during practice. So, he banned live tackling in practice. From that day forward, Dartmouth football decided to focus on fundamental tackling drills to improve performance.

By introducing these new technique-specific tackling drill circuits, his players not only became better tacklers, but also remained healthier throughout the season. To simulate live tackling in the most effective and realistic way, Coach Teevens introduced the Mobile Virtual Player (MVP) – the world's first and only motorized, self-righting, mobile training dummy.

Ultimately, the modifications made to practice along with the use of high-tech solutions like the MVP helped Dartmouth to its 18th Ivy League Championship this past season.

The MVP helped increase performance and reduce injuries for the Dartmouth defense, playing a big role in its finish as the No. 1 ranked scoring defense in the country!

The IEEE story logs the long hard slog from conception to product — with multiple re-conceptions and re-implementations through trial-and-error along the way — and provides a very readable example of the challenges involved in bringing an idea to market.

Original Submission