Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Outdoors
  3. News

Remote-controlled tackling dummies are trickling down to smaller football teams

By

mobile virtual players small football teams player
Image used with permission by copyright holder
The Mobile Virtual Players that were tested by the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers are beginning to trickle down to more grassroots teams. In an effort to limit head trauma during practices, these MVPs are replacing physical players.

Each MVP stands at 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs just over 180 pounds. Built to resemble the average football player, these are currently the only motorized, self-righting, mobile tackling dummy. They travel up to 18 mph, or about 40 yards in five seconds.

Recommended Videos

Originally, mobile tackling dummies were being tested with professional football players like the Steelers. Now that the MVP is available for purchase, smaller teams like Holy Name High are able to take advantage of it.

According to the Telegram, Holy Name’s roster had shrunk from 40 players to just 28. Injuries had decommissioned the rest of the team. After seeing the Mobile Virtual Player in action, coach Jim Romeo was convinced that the $8,000 price tag was worth the safety of his players.

“I think it’s a wonderful addition to your team,” said Romeo. “It gives you the ability to hit without beating one another up. It has a realistic feel to it. It moves really well. Kids can’t just run up and hit it like a dry bag. It really gives them open-field pursuit angles.”

Thanks to a couple of tires and some casters, the padded dummy can make sharp turns to resemble an actual player. Practicing with a moving object is a lot more beneficial than tackling a stationary one.

MVP: Pittsburgh Steelers

Back in 2010, Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens banned live tackling during practices. Football players were injuring themselves too often outside of the games. The MVP began development after Teevens encouraged a few players that were engineering students to create one. In August 2015, Dartmouth debuted the MVP.

Since then, this mobile tackling dummy has been adopted by professionals like the Steelers, Ravens, Cowboys, and more. Other colleges like Notre Dame and West Virginia have also made use of them. However, Mobile Virtual Player feels that they make the most impact with high school football teams.

“One of the things we want to cut out, especially at the high school level, is having these guys banging their heads against one another, “said CEO John Currier. “We know that’s not good in the long term. At this age, their brains are fully developed.”

With concussions being a big issue in football these days, new tech like the Mobile Virtual Player gives players a safer way to play the game they love.

Topics
Garrett Hulfish
Garrett Hulfish
Contributor
Garrett is the kind of guy who tells you about all the tech you haven't heard of yet. He also knows too much about other…
Best lawn mower deals: Cordless, gas, electric and robotic
A robot lawn mower in a backyard while a family relaxes.

Mowing a lawn can be very therapeutic unless you have an older lawnmower, which makes life difficult and constantly causes you frustration. Luckily, you can snag a new lawnmower for a pretty good price, and even the more budget-oriented options have a lot of quality-of-life features that you wouldn't find on lawnmowers ten or even five years ago. To that end, we've gone about and collected some of our favorite lawnmower deals across the board, including some great robot lawn mowers that are worth checking out.
Litheli Cordless Lawn Mower U20 Handy+ -- $120, was $140

If you want a solid lawn mower, this offering from Litheli has a 13-inch cutting width, which is pretty good for the deal that you're getting. Even better, you get a 30L grass bag so you're not having to clean up after yourself, and you can mow for longer without having to stop. You also get 5 height adjustments so you can hone in the length of your grass to the perfect height, plus you get a 4.0Ah portable battery included.

Read more
Juiced Bikes offers 20% off on all e-bikes amid signs of bankruptcy
Juiced Bikes Scrambler ebike

A “20% off sitewide” banner on top of a company’s website should normally be cause for glee among customers. Except if you’re a fan of that company’s products and its executives remain silent amid mounting signs that said company might be on the brink of bankruptcy.That’s what’s happening with Juiced Bikes, the San Diego-based maker of e-bikes.According to numerous customer reports, Juiced Bikes has completely stopped responding to customer inquiries for some time, while its website is out of stock on all products. There are also numerous testimonies of layoffs at the company.Even more worrying signs are also piling up: The company’s assets, including its existing inventory of products, is appearing as listed for sale on an auction website used by companies that go out of business.In addition, a court case has been filed in New York against parent company Juiced Inc. and Juiced Bike founder Tora Harris, according to Trellis, a state trial court legal research platform.Founded in 2009 by Harris, a U.S. high-jump Olympian, Juiced Bikes was one of the early pioneers of the direct-to-consumer e-bike brands in the U.S. market.The company’s e-bikes developed a loyal fandom through the years. Last year, Digital Trends named the Juiced Bikes Scorpion X2 as the best moped-style e-bike for 2023, citing its versatility, rich feature set, and performance.The company has so far stayed silent amid all the reports. But should its bankruptcy be confirmed, it could legitimately be attributed to the post-pandemic whiplash experienced by the e-bike industry over the past few years. The Covid-19 pandemic had led to a huge spike in demand for e-bikes just as supply chains became heavily constrained. This led to a ramp-up of e-bike production to match the high demand. But when consumer demand dropped after the pandemic, e-bike makers were left with large stock surpluses.The good news is that the downturn phase might soon be over just as the industry is experiencing a wave of mergers and acquisitions, according to a report by Houlihan Lokey.This may mean that even if Juiced Bikes is indeed going under, the brand and its products might find a buyer and show up again on streets and trails.

Read more
Best pressure washer deals: Up to $110 off Greenworks and Kärcher
The Greenworks GPW3001 Pro electric pressure washer, placed outside.

If you've been on the internet and seen a bunch of pressure washer clips and are now considering grabbing one yourself, you'll be happy to know that there is a huge range of them to pick from. That includes some great budget-oriented versions to dip your toe in and are still good for cleaning stains and cleaning up stuff. That's why we've gone out and collected some of our favorite washer deals for you below, including some of the best pressure washers for cars, which you do have to be a bit careful with not to strip the paint or clearcoat.
Greenworks Pressure Washer Combo Kit -- $110 $220 50% off

While this Greenworks power washer doesn't have as high a PSI, around 1,900 PSI, it is a lot more portable and a great option if you want something that's smaller and easier to take around with you. It comes with a 35-foot power chord and a 20-foot hose, so you get quite a bit of distance. If you are somewhere rural and need to clean stuff that doesn't have a power cable nearby, this is perfect. Besides that, we also appreciate that this comes with an 11-inch surface cleaner, which isn't something common with a lot of other power washers, even more expensive ones. Just be aware that you do need a My Best Buy subscription to be able to get the discount.

Read more