Students at Texas A&M are getting a crash course in the world of sports tech startups. The Aggies are hosting a 48-hour, school-wide design competition this month. It is called the Aggies Invent, and it is held yearly with a different theme every time. This year just happened to focus on the world of sports—with regards to both athletes and fans.
According to The Battalion, around 60 students form different departments at the university will attempt to answer different “need statements” from experts in the field such as coaches, athletic trainers, backroom staff and any other professional in the sports industry.
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For example, Aggies baseball alumnus and current coach in the Minnesota Twins’ organization Chad Allen presented students with his need statement that centered around giving baseball players some sort of sliding shorts or batting gloves that can keep players warm.
But this is not the only need being addressed—others include the ever-continuing issue of football helmets not offering enough protection against concussions and crafting a new variety of movement sensor that is efficient for training and rehabilitation.
The contest will take place this weekend, with the event going from Friday through Sunday at the Engineering Innovation Center on the campus. The final designs will be presented on 4 p.m. on Sunday.
This is a bit different than the usual sports and STEM education that schools and professional teams offer. Often times sport is used as a means to get students excited about STEM education, but in this case, students that are already interested in STEM are solving sports-related issues.
Events like this will make teams like the Diamondbacks and the 49ers proud, as they have heavily invested in promoting STEM education at the elementary, middle and high school level.