Nike has announced Project Shield: Protect to Perform, a research collaboration with Stanford’s Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance, Emory University and the University of Oregon. The November 12 announcement sets an initial focus on ACL injuries in female athletes.
Stanford will study injury variables and monitor injuries over time. Emory will work on translating research into practical interventions, while Oregon will examine female athletes’ physiological characteristics. The Nike Sport Research Lab will contribute biomechanics, data science and machine-learning expertise.
Separately, Nike is beta testing NSRL Form for Field, a smartphone-based tool that uses AI pose estimation to assess football players’ movement. Nike says it provides a personalized report and targeted training suggestions.
The company also plans to use the app to recommend football boots based on playing style. That footwear-selection feature is described as a future capability; the announcement does not establish a public app launch date or report a demonstrated reduction in ACL injuries.
