Pill Tells Footballers How Hot They Are

Practicing in the summer is always a challenge for football players and band members.

The News & Observer of Raleigh reported Wednesday that University of North Carolina football players are going high-tech to determine just how hot they are.

Eighteen Tar Heel players swallowed pills Tuesday morning that contain a battery, thermometer and radio transmitter.

Officials hope the vitamin-size CorTemp capsule will provide data to help determine if higher body temperatures increase the possibility of concussions.

Coaches also plan to use the information to better regulate drills during practice and to monitor players in heat that often reaches the high 90s in the early-season games.

"What's appropriate for a receiver might not be appropriate for an offensive lineman. So I think it's brilliant," coach Butch Davis told the News & Observer.

The pills, which cost $40 each, are designed to stay in the players' systems for up to two days, after which they will be expelled. They were originally used by NASA to track astronauts' body temperature and are also being employed by Duke, Virginia Tech, Texas, and the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles, according to the News & Observer.

The doses, which one player compared to swallowing a gummy bear, are given five hours before practice and temperatures are recorded by a device held around six inches from the players.

Coaches and trainers are also interested in using the data to track any correlation between increased body heat and concussions, both of which often manifest similar symptoms.