IDEAS.
>> HUT!
SEAN: WHAT WEIGHS 190 POUNDS,
CAN MOVE QUICKLY, NEVER GETS
TIRED, TAKES A HIT, AND ALWAYS
BOUNCES RIGHT BACK UP?
HINT -- IT'S NOT TOM BRADY.
>> THEY HAVE SOME WEIGHT TO
THEM.
IF THEY HIT YOU REALLY HARD,
YOU'RE GOING TO KNOW IT.
SEAN: MEET THE MOBILE VIRTUAL
PLAYER, OR MVP FOR SHORT, THE
ROBOT-TACKLING DUMMY DEVELOPED
AT DARTMOUTH COLLEGE THAT IS
CHANGING THE WAY PLAYERS ARE
PRACTICING.
>> BUDDY TEAVENS, THE HEAD COACH
-- HEAD FOOTBALL COACH AT
DARTMOUTH, HAD THE IDEA THAT HE
WANTED SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE A
FREESTANDING MOBILE TACKLING
DUMMY.
SEAN: QUINN CONNELL, NOW THE
DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING FOR MVP,
WAS A STUDENT AT THE THAYER
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING, AS WELL
AS A RUGBY PLAYER WHEN HE GOT
THE PROMPT.
>> IT HAD COOL CHALLENGES FROM
THE ENGINEERING STANDPOINT.
AS A PLAYER, I UNDERSTOOD THE
RISKS YOU ARE UNDERTAKING EVERY
TIME YOU GO INTO CONTACT, SO
BEING ABLE TO DEVELOP A SOLUTION
THAT WOULD ALLOW EFFECTIVE
TRAINING BUT IN A SAFER
ENVIRONMENT WAS ALSO REALLY
APPEALING TO ME AS AN ATHLETE.
SEAN: NO LONGER UNDER THE
DARTMOUTH UMBRELLA -- NOW AN
INDEPENDENT COMPANY RUN BY ALL
DARTMOUTH GRADS RIGHT DOWN THE
STREET IN LEBANON -- MVP STILL
CONSIDERS THE BIG GREEN FOOTBALL
TEAM ITS GUINEA PIG.
>> THIS STARTED OUT ON THE FIE
AT DARTMOUTH, AND THE DARTMOUTH
PLAYERS AND COACHES WERE THE
ONES WHO STARTED OUT WITH THE
VERY FIRST PROTOTYPES THAT
NEEDED TO BE FIXED MORE
FREQUENTLY THAN NOT.
SEAN: THE TEAM FEELS THERE IS
ALWAYS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT.
QUINN LIKES TO SPEND HIS TIME IN
THE WORKSHOP, A FEW FENCED-OFF
PARKING SPOTS IN THE GARAGE OF
THEIR OFFICE BUILDING.
>> IT'S TAKEN A LOT OF
ITERATION AND A LOT OF DIFFERENT
VERSIONS TO GET TO WHERE IT'S AT
NOW, BUT THE FACT THAT IT
DOESN'T BREAK IS PRETTY
IMPRESSIVE TO ME.
SEAN: RYAN MCMANUS WAS AMONG THE
FIRST TO TAKE THE FIELD WITH THE
VIRTUAL PLAYER.
NOW HE WORKS FOR THE COMPANY
>> BACK IN 2010 BEFORE I WAS
HERE, COACH TEAVENS INSTITUTED A
NO-TACKLING POLICY, SO MY ENTI
CAREER, I NEVER WAS TACKLED.
I PLAYED RECEIVER, SO I WAS A
FAN OF THAT.
SEAN: HE REMEMBERS THE FIRST
TIME HE SAW THE MVP BUZZING
AROUND THE FIELD.
IT WAS MET WITH DISBELIEF, B
SOON, PLAYERS BEGAN TO WARM UP
TO THEIR NEW TEAMMATE.
>> AT FIRST IT CAME OUT AND
EVERYBODY WAS FILMING IT.
IT WAS A TACKLING DUMMY, AND DAY
TWO, IT WAS A BLOCKING DUMMY AND
A TACKLING DUMMY AND IT WAS A
DEFENSIVE PRESSURE.
-- DEFENSIVE RUSHER.
SEAN: JOHN CURRIER, THE CEO OF
THE COMPANY, SAYS THE MVP WAS
DRAFTED AT THE RIGHT TIME.
>> I THINK THE PRODUCT ITSELF IS
VERY WELL DONE.
THE GROUP DID A GREAT JOB
ON ITERATING AND FINDING
MISTAKES AND WEAKNESSES AND
GOING BACK AND DOING IT OVER
AGAIN, AND THEY WORKED REALLY
HARD ON THAT.
I ALSO THINK IT'S A PRODUCT THAT
COMES TO THE MARKET WHEN PEOPLE
ARE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT INJURY
IN SPORTS, ESPECIALLY FOOTBALL.
SEAN: THE PROOF IS IN THE
PUDDING -- THE COMPANY HAS DONE
A LIMITED EDITION ROLLOUT AND IS
ALREADY ON THE FIELD WITH EIGHT
NFL TEAMS, THREE NCAA TEAMS, AND
SOME BLUE-CHIP HIGH SCHOOL
TEAMS.
>> I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT EXPAND
ACROSS SPORTS, ACROSS DIFFERENT
LEVELS, AND REALLY DO, TOOL --
AND REALLY BECOME A TOOL THAT IS
RELIED ON ACROSS LEVELS AS A
TOOL TO INCREASE PERFORMANCE,
WHILE DIMINISHING THE CONTACT
THE PLAYERS ARE EXPOSED TO.
SEAN: ANOTHER BRIGHT IDEA THAT
HAS PLAYERS AND COACHES SEEING
CLEARLY IS A BUSINESS RIGHT DOWN
THE STREET IN HANOVER.
GRAHAM CLARKE IS THE CO-FOUNDER
AND CEO OF INSIGHT REPLAY.
HIS PARTNER, PETER FOLEY, IS THE
HEAD COACH FOR THE U.S.
SNOWBOARD TEAM.
PETER SPENDS MANY HOURS
SLOPESIDE AND SAW A NEED FOR
INSTANT DATA.
>> THE ORIGINAL CONCEPT WAS TO
PROVIDE IMMEDIATE VIDEO FEEDBA
FOR ATHLETES AND COACHES, RIGHT?
SO AN ATHLETE CAN SEE WHAT THEY
JUST DID AND MAKE ADJUSTMENTS IN
THE MOMENT WHILE THEY STILL
REMEMBER WHAT IT FEELS LIKE.
SEAN: THE VALUE OF THAT
IMMEDIATE FEEDBACK -- IT IS
ACTUALLY BACKED BY SCIENCE
>> SO THE SPORTS SCIENCE BEHIND
IT IS THIS CONCEPT OF IMMEDIATE
FEEDBACK.
AS AN ATHLETE, YOU HAVE ABOUT A
10-MINUTE WINDOW WHERE YOU
REMEMBER WHAT IT FELT LIKE, WHAT
YOU JUST DID, AND IF YOU CAN
PROVIDE THE VIDEO FEEDBACK
WITHIN THAT TIMEFRAME, IT ALLOWS
THE ATHLETE TO MAKE A LOT MORE
PROGRESS.
SEAN: THE IDEA HAS SINCE
SNOWBALLED, IF YOU WILL, AND
INSIGHT REPLAY IS NOW ON THE
SIDELINE OF DIFFERENT SPORTS
AROUND THE WORLD.
>> WHAT WE'VE FOUND IS, WORKING
WITH ATHLETES AT ALL LEVELS,
IS THAT THEY REALLY LIKE IT, AND
IT TAKES OUT A LOT OF THE
AMBIGUITY, SO IT CHANGES THE WAY
THE COACHES AND THE ATHLETES
COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER.
>> WE USED IT LAST YEAR AS A
DEFENDER WHEN OTHER TEAMS WOULD
SCORE ON US.
OUR COACHES WOULD PULL OUT THE
IPAD AND SHOW US HOW A TEAM HAD
SCORED ON US SO WE'D MAKE SURE
THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN AGAIN.
WE WOULDN'T MAKE THE SAME
MISTAKES.
SEAN: OK, SO HOW EXACTLY DOES IT
WORK?
WELL, LET'S UNPACK THE BACKPACK.
>> THE WAY THIS WORKS IS THAT WE
SET UP A PRIVATE WI-FI NETWORK
AT THE VENUE, AND THIS WI-FI
NETWORK IS JUST INTENDED FOR
CAPTURING THE VIDEO FROM THE
CAMERA AND SENDING THE VIDEO
BACK OUT TO CONNECTED DEVICES.
SEAN: THERE IS A LITTLE MORE TO
IT THAN THAT, BUT FOR THOSE WHO
DON'T WANT TO GET BOGGED DOWN IN
THE TECHNICAL HOW-TOS, GRAHAM
SUMS IT UP PRETTY WELL --
>> THE IDEA IS TO TAKE THE
VIDEO, ORGANIZE IT IN REAL TIME,
AND PRESENT IT IN A WAY THAT'S
EASY FOR THE COACHES AND THE END
USERS TO USE.
SEAN: AND IT ALL FITS IN A
BACKPACK.
FROM THE SLOPES OF SOCHI TO
LACROSSE AND FOOTBALL FIELDS
ACROSS THE COUNTRY, THE INSTANT
FEEDBACK OF INSIGHT REPLAY SEEMS
TO BE A WINNING COMBINATION.
>> THE MOST REWARDING THING FOR
ME IS SEEING THE KIDS AND
THE COACHES USE IT, RIGHT?
SO WHEN YOU SEE AN ATHLETE SEE
WHAT THEY JUST DID AND GET THAT
AHA MOMENT AND YOU HEAR BACK
FROM THEM HOW THAT HELPS THEM,
THAT IS VERY REWARDING.