Four years after former Minnesota Vikings offensive lineman Korey Stringer died of a heatstroke, the Vikings are considering using a "radio pill" that would transmit player's body temperature to a wireless device during practice, according to a MercuryNews.com report. The patented Cortemp™, ingestible core body thermometer pill was developed by HQ Inc., and is already being used by the Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars according to the report.
The system works by having the players ingest a pill that can transmit their body temperature to a handheld device. The pill can stay in the player's system for several days but in most cases the pill is pushed out in about 24 hours.
Food in the stomach area could affect the accuracy of the readings however once the pill reaches the intestines the pill delivers a true core temperature.
According to The Mercury News, "a base CorTemp system consists of temperature pills and generally two or three data recorders, priced at $2,500 apiece. The data recorders allow a trainer to read a player's temperature with each recorder accepting up to 99 sensors.
For an additional $4,000, a team can purchase a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a hand-held computer that allows one trainer to centrally monitor all players while their individual core temperatures are being taken by assistants."
The system works by having the players ingest a pill that can transmit their body temperature to a handheld device. The pill can stay in the player's system for several days but in most cases the pill is pushed out in about 24 hours.
Food in the stomach area could affect the accuracy of the readings however once the pill reaches the intestines the pill delivers a true core temperature.
According to The Mercury News, "a base CorTemp system consists of temperature pills and generally two or three data recorders, priced at $2,500 apiece. The data recorders allow a trainer to read a player's temperature with each recorder accepting up to 99 sensors.
For an additional $4,000, a team can purchase a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a hand-held computer that allows one trainer to centrally monitor all players while their individual core temperatures are being taken by assistants."