The $20,000 runner-up, Solius, aims to speed healing by subjecting athletes to narrow spectrums of light that foster the growth of hormones and peptides. In theory, football players will recover that much faster from injuries and might improve their performance if they're deficient.

These aren't huge prizes, and it's easy to raise questions about these solutions. Technology can reduce the likelihood of concussions, for rinstance but it won't completely eliminate them (at least not in the near future) or address whether or not that risk is worthwhile in the first place. However, developments like this could improve player health within the existing system.