Gallaudet University to debut 'groundbreaking' 5G-connected helmet for deaf football players

The new helmet technology will help ease on-field communication for Gallaudet, a school for deaf and hard-of-hearing students

Gallaudet University and AT&T announced Thursday the creation of the first 5G-connected football helmet as a means of enhancing on-field communication for the football team of the preeminent university for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. The helmet will be used for the first time in the Gallaudet Bison's game this weekend against the Hilbert College Hawks.

The helmet will allow Gallaudet's coaching staff to send plays via tablet to a digital display located within the visor, allowing quarterback Brandon Washington to see the play in augmented reality and give clearer communication to his teammates, lessening the possibility of assignment errors or procedural and operational mistakes.

"(AT&T) came to us and said they wanted to know how they could improve our experience. They wanted to understand our challenges, our struggles, our successes," Warren Keller, director of athletics for Gallaudet, told USA Today. "We came up with the idea for this solution and innovate football farther and it's really been a beautiful thing from the very beginning. 

"We were able to work with them for two years, came to production and I think it's really going to be groundbreaking and change the football world. And it'll just improve access not only for deaf people, but will have an impact on the college and NFL level, for sure."

Interestingly, Gallaudet has made a major impact on the game of gridiron football before, as they were credited with inventing the modern day huddle in 1894 as a means of concealing hand signals from another deaf opponent. As of now, the NCAA has reportedly only green-lit the helmet to be worn in one game and to be worn only by Gallaudet's quarterbacks.