Bottoms Up Beer Dispensing Revolutionizing Stadium Beverages

When technology, sports and beer combine, the result can be a beautiful thing. That is exactly what the innovators over at GrinOn Industries have created. A system that allows beer to be filled from the bottom of the cup, which they claim equates to 9X quicker pours. However, a product is only as useful as the market available to it, and that is where sports enter the picture. Sports venues are prime locations for many thirsty patrons looking to be served in a small window of time (at halftime, between periods etc).



The system is based around specially designed plastic cups. The cups have a hole at the center bottom embedded with a magnetic ring. A magnetic token is then used to cover the hole. When the cup is placed on the dispensing machines (slightly lifting the token from the base of the cup), the beer flows in through the bottom of the cup. The amount of liquid dispensed can be accurate to 1/10 of an ounce. Once full, lift from the machine and the magnets do the work to ensure a seal. This type of pour helps eliminate waste, provides a consistent pour every time and ensures no glass has too much or too little foam head. Cups are available in 12, 16, 20 or 24 ounce sizes.

The cost of this technology is pricey at $2000+ per dispenser, being sold in quantities of 30. Additionally the cups are more expensive than a regular plastic beer cup. However, some sporting teams are putting team logos or player numbers on the pop out magnet tokens thus making them collector items. This means that the beer cups can be sold at a premium. Or, the tokens can be sold as ad-space. Aside from ingenious marketing, the sheer quantity of beers that are able to be distributed in a shorter period of time will also help offset the costs. This video shows 56 beers being filled in just over 1 minute. While not exactly for home use, this technology is perfect for sporting events. These machines have been popping up all over the US. Below is the list of places you can find this technology in action: Ref. beernewb.com, grinonindustries.com

-San Francisco 49ers- Candlestick Park
-SF Giants - AT&T Park for the World Series
-San Diego Chargers - Qualcomm Stadium
-Indianapolis Colts - Lucas Oil Stadium
-Denver Broncos - INVESCO Field
-Miami Dolphins - Sun Life stadium
-Minnesota Vikings -Metro Dome
-Tennessee Titans - LP Field
-New Orleans Saints - The Louisiana Superdome
-Washington Redskins -FedEx
-Las Vegas 51’s -Cashman Field
-UNLV Thomas and Mack and Sam Boyd Stadium
-Dallas Mavericks & Dallas Stars -American Airlines Center
-Jacksonville Jaguars -EverBank Field
-LA Lakers & LA Kings - Staples Center
-Gibson Amphitheatre -Universal Studios CA
-Nationwide Arena - Columbus, OH
-Civic Center - Rapid City, SD
-Georgia Dome -Atlanta, GA

Portable Brain Injury Detection

There has been a ton of media coverage around concussions and the dangers of head injuries in sports, especially football. In light of these growing concerns, different researchers came together at the Greensboro Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering in North Carolina to combine their medical and technical expertise to help this problem. They are creating a portable device which can immediately test for mild traumatic brain injury. This devise would work by taking from the injured person either a saliva, blood or urine sample. From there, according to espn, “A chip will sense the presence of compounds in the body that the brain releases when it’s injured.” Currently, these types of tests from a molecular perspective are done in labs. The alternative technology employed at hospitals is CAT scans and MRIs. These machines focus on physical changes in the brain and sometimes miss mild, but still serious injury. Similarly to the molecular tests, MRIs/CAT scans are conducted with less than portable equipment. The innovation of a portable device that could go from the ski lift to the football field or even be part of a roadside emergency responder’s tool kit has very promising potential.

This technology could be pivotal in the detection of mild head injuries that may initially not show obvious symptoms. By catching a head injury early, treatment could be far more effective, not to mention this knowledge could prevent a person from going back out and causing further damage (which is a huge problem in sports). Too often mild head injuries are not diagnosed because the person seems coherent. According to a study mentioned in Time, “up to 40% of players who experience a concussion are back on the field before their brains have fully healed.” Scarier still, it is possible that two mild head injuries could be more dangerous than one bigger injury. Malignant brain edema, or second-impact syndrome, can occur when a player returns to the field before they are fully healed. The second hit to the head can cause a fatal brain bleed, which is the cause of death for about 6 kids per year. This new technology could potentially help identify the first injury quickly and on-site, hopefully preventing players from re-entering the field prematurely. REF. espn.com, Time

Home Field Advantage Tech

For years park design architecture has been changing the outcomes of games and many times, as guessed, the home field advantage stretches beyond the fans in the stands. The influence of a stadium’s build can be seen throughout many sports. In football, grass versus artificial and dome verses bracing the elements can be a big challenge for visitors. In basketball the depth of stadium from hoop to wall can create depth perception skews enough to even cause a few missed free throws. But these sports have a standard field or court size that is regulated. Baseball fields however can vary in size and slope, and the design of the stadium can change the park from a pitcher’s safe haven to a hitter’s paradise.

The design of the stadium will likely effect whether games tend to be high or low scoring and may even help home teams pull out a victory. Franchises know this fact which in turn may have stimulated a stadium building boom of no less than 22 new stadiums being constructed since just 1990. Everything is considered from the direction of home plate (will the ball be into wind or with), to where the sun will cast its shadow for afternoon games. Rangers Park, built in 1994, did many things to block the wind. The field was built 22 feet below the level of surrounding street, and even the scoreboard was angled just so to help block the wind. Additionally, each stadium construction element was tested to see how it blocked the wind (and that it would not create a wind tunnel).

However, despite stadium angling efforts and strategic placement of scoreboards, Mother Nature can be unpredictable. This fact leaves some organizations to take the home field advantage to the extreme. The notorious Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros, exemplifies this with the 90-foot wide 30 degree incline in center field known as Tal’s Hill. Atop the hill is a flagpole. Both the hill and flagpole are purely decorative, but have caused loads of controversy. While this ‘feature’ is hardly high tech, it once again illustrates how design and architecture can play a role in adding a little home field advantage to those who are accustomed to the layout.

Although it seems that recruiting and player selection may possibly be influenced by a stadium’s layout, author of Field of Schemes: How the Great Stadium Swindle Turns Public Money into Private Profit Neil deMause says, "It takes three, four, five years to build a stadium, so most of your roster is going to turn over," …"It's hard to build a stadium around a particular player." Though when selecting great talent, it is very possibly the knowledge of the home field tendencies may just play a role. Ref. Popular Mechanics

Emerging Tech…nical Foul

Sports and technology have formed an unmistakable relationship that will only continue to grow as the business of sports merges with fast-paced advancements in technology. The sports industry, from pee-wee sports through professional athletics, has changed over the years. Much of this change can be credited to better, faster technology that in some cases enhances the game and in others hurts the foundation of the sport.

I have created this blog to discuss emerging technology in all facets of the sports industry and provide commentary, as a sports fan and tech professional.

Who am I? I am a young IT business professional who wrote for two years on an internal blog for a Fortune 500 company. The blog was focused on emerging technology, social media and business and the lead writers/contributors were all young Information Technology professionals. As a huge fan of sports, many of my articles focused on sports, technology and their influence on each other. I have decided to spin off this blog to share my thoughts and ideas about sports and technology. Share your comments if you agree and especially if you disagree…after all, one of the best aspects of sports is the spark of controversy it can create.