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Northeastern Students Create Sensor Shirt to Protect Pitchers' Health

by Caleb Johnson on April 12, 2010 at 08:30 AM


Pitching injuries can cripple a baseball team's roster and its bank account, too. That's why three Northeastern engineering students created a compression shirt that monitors a pitcher's mechanics. When a pitcher becomes tired, his mechanics often worsen. This can lead to a tear in the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL), which -- when healthy -- prevents stress on the elbow. The students found that UCL injuries cost professional baseball teams about $54 million in salary losses each year. By equipping a simple compression shirt with three sensors (one on the lower back, one on the forearm and one on the bicep), managers and trainers can monitor real-time data about the pitcher's arm motion from the dugout. The shirt is lightweight and machine-washable, and can be worn during exhibition games or bullpen sessions. (It'd be illegal to wear such a device during a regular season game.)

According to The Eagle Tribune, Marcus Moche, Alexandra Morgan and David Schmidt, who are the students behind the project, have been contacted by at least three Major League Baseball teams about the sensor-laden shirt. That's no surprise to us. Next year, this might be the hottest new fashion accessory at Spring Training. For the sake of our team's pitching staff, we hope we're right. [From: Northeastern and eCouterre, via: NOTCOT]

Tags: baseball, health, injury, research, sensor, sports, top

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