Transformational Ideas
The day before Super Bowl LII, the 国产外流网teamed up with Comcast NBCUniversal and Mayo Clinic to host the third annual start-up competition, designed to spur advancements in athlete safety and performance.
Showcased live at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, nine tech entrepreneur teams pitched a panel of expert judges on cutting-edge products, from energy-absorbing helmet liners to biometric tracking for sleep enhancement to single-surgery cartilage regeneration. Judges鈥攊ncluding former 国产外流网players, entrepreneurs and medical experts鈥攄rilled contestants about the potential impact of their inventions and future opportunities for growth in football and other sports.
More than 100 start-ups submitted proposals, and nine finalists were chosen to compete in one of three categories: Advancements in Protective Equipment, Technology to Improve Athletic Performance, and New Therapies to Speed Recovery. The winner in each category received tickets to Super Bowl LII and $50,000 from the NFL, to support their innovations.
The Next Generation of Disruptive Sports Technology
This year鈥檚 winning pitches shared a commitment to disruptive, accessible technology designed to positively impact athlete safety, training, and recovery.
鈥淪ome of the new technologies and products they鈥檙e talking about really have the potential to change the game, reduce injury risk and improve recovery,鈥� said Dr. Jonathan Finnoff, a 1st and Future judge who serves as the Medical Director of Mayo Clinic Square, Sports Medicine Center in Minneapolis.
Winner 鈥� Advancements in Protective Equipment
Impressio (Denver, CO): The 鈥淎nti-Flubber鈥�
Impressio was founded by University of Colorado Denver professor Chris Yakacki and University of Wyoming professor Carl Frick. Together, they explained the extensive research that went into the development of their proprietary liquid-crystal elastomer (LCE) materials. Yakacki said, 鈥測ou need a fundamentally new material to make an impact in design and safety.鈥�
Yakacki calls the LCE foam the 鈥渁nti-flubber.鈥� He said it offers a new alternative to traditional helmet foams without requiring a redesign of existing helmets. 鈥淲e want to be disruptive and improve health,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e also know this needs to be competitively priced.鈥�
Yakacki said he plans to get the helmet prototype created and tested within the next year, and he wants to expand the technology into implants to biomedical devices. In addition to grants his research received from the National Science Foundation and the US Army Research Office, the 1st and Future prize money and exposure will help Impressio make that next step.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to take full advantage of this newfound visibility,鈥� Yakacki .
Winner 鈥� New Therapies to Speed Recovery
(Mountain View, CA): Getting Out of the 鈥淚ce Age鈥�
RecoverX CEO Alex Aguiar and CTO Dan Evans emphasized the importance of reaching all athletes with effective new technology during his pitch for Element, a smartphone-controlled cold and heat therapy device.
鈥淲e鈥檙e still stuck in the ice age. We are literally still putting ice on to treat our injuries,鈥� Aguiar . 鈥淭his is the next generation of player recovery. It鈥檚 a tool for pro athletes, youth athletes, and weekend warriors.鈥�
Aguiar stressed Element can be used on a game sideline, at the gym, or on a plane. And, he said, at a price point of $200-300 it is cheaper than existing devices on the market.
Winner 鈥揟echnology to Improve Athletic Performance
聽(Toronto, Ontario): 鈥淒emocratizing Athlete Development鈥�
The creators of Curv.ai prioritized accessibility in the consumer market as they developed the technology for their athlete development platform.
Curv.ai鈥檚 Co-Founder and CEO Shea Balish told he wants to supplant dedicated sports wearables with an app and web portal that 鈥渢urns the camera on any mobile device into a diagnostic tool for human motion.鈥�
Curv.ai aims to harness the power of augmented reality by offering this tool. Athletes download an app鈥攁 free, basic version or a paid premium application鈥攁nd dive into an array of available athletic assessments and injury screenings.
Balish emphasized that the platform would not only be a tool for pro athletes, but would also be geared toward the 24 million youth athletes in the U.S. 鈥淲e want to democratize athlete development,鈥� he said during his pitch.