Students, businesses pitch technological ideas to NFL

Event held at Miami Beach Convention Center

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – The NFL is out in full force ahead of the big game and, on Friday, they got suggestions from the public during its annual 1st & Future event.

This year’s event was held at the Miami Beach Convention Center in collaboration with the University of Miami.

The event is a competition involving students and businesses who made the final cut to pitch new ideas involving technology to improve the NFL, including ways to prevent or improve player injuries, the benefits of using synthetic turf versus natural turf on the fields and ways to improve player protective equipment.

Participants presented their ideas on stage to a panel of experts in technology and NFL officials.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell then held a panel to announce the winners -- three friends from Duke University, who pitched an idea involving robotics.

They received $50,000 and two tickets to Super Bowl LIV. The students joked about what their next move would be now since there are three of them but only two highly prized tickets to the big game.

NFL representatives said they will take the technological pitches and try to work them into their programs.


About the Author:

Andrew Perez is a South Florida native who joined the Local 10 News team in May 2014.