WEBVTT REPORTER: ATHLETES ARE ALWAYS TRYING TO GO FASTER AND BE STRONGER, BUT THAT CAN LEAD TO INJURIES. ACL AND ANKLE INJURIES ARE UNFORTUNATELY COMMON IN ALL SPORTS. THE ACL PROVIDES 90% OF THE LEG’S STABILITY. >> IN SOME COMBINATIONS OF MOVEMENT, LIKE WHEN YOU’RE CUTTING AND ROTATING, IT STARTS TO LOAD THE ACL. REPORTER: A TORN ACL, AND IT’S TELL-TALE POP CAN TAKE AN ATHLETE OUT FOR SIX MONTHS TO A YEAR TO MOST OF US, ISSUE IS A SHOE. TO AN ATHLETE, IT CAN MEAN THE DIFFERENCE TO A GREAT PERFORMANCE AND INJURY. >> WANT THEM TO DO THE PERFORMANCE NORMALLY, BUT CONTROL THE LOADS BETWEEN THE GROUND AND THE FLOOR AND THE PLAYER’S FOOT. REPORTER: CHRISTOPHER BROWN IS A PROFESSOR OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING AT WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE. HE AND HIS STUDENTS AT WPI HAVE COME UP WITH A MECHANISM IN THE SHOE THAT WILL GIVE AT A CERTAIN POINT WHEN AN ATHLETE EXCEEDS THEIR LIMITS PREVENTING A TORN -- THUS PREVENTING A TORN ACL. >> WE WANT THIS THING TO BE A STIFF AS POSSIBLE WHEN THEY ARE IN NORMAL PLAYING CONDITIONS. IF THEY GET INTO A SITUATION WHERE THEY TAKE A STEP TO THE SIDE AND PUT TOO MUCH FORCE ON THE LEG, IT MIGHT SEND FOR SPEC INTO THE ARMY AND CAUSE THEM TO TEAR THEIR ACL -- INTO THEIR KNEE AND CAUSE THEM TO TEAR THEIR ACL, IT WILL ACTIVATE. REPORTER: GRAD STUDENT JAMES MULLER SHOWED US THE TINY POST THAT EXTENDS UP FROM THE TREAD THROUGH THESE PLASTIC CURLS. THAT ACT AS SPRINGS. THAT’S -- THAT ACTS AS SPRINGS. THIS PATENTED CONFIGURATION WORKS IN ALL DIRECTIONS. IF IT DETECTS TOO MUCH PRESSURE AND EMINENT INJURY, THE SOLE SLIPS QUICKLY, RELIEVING THE PRESSURE. IT HAPPENS SO FAST THAT THE ATHLETE MAY NEVER KNOW THE SHOW JUST SAVED THEIR CAREER. >> IN THE SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT AND THE SOUL, WE CAN INDEPENDENTLY CONTROL -- SOLE, WE CAN INDEPENDENTLY CONTROL ALL THE SITES. REPORTER: SPORT ENGINEERING INC. OF DELAWARE HAS INVESTED $400,000 IN WPI’S TECHNOLOGY IN HOPES OF BRINGING SOMETHING NEW TO THE GLOBAL ATHLETIC FOOTWEAR MARKET -- A MARKET WORTH $84 BILLION. THERE’S NO WORD ON WHEN YOU’LL SEE IT IN YOUR LOCAL SHOE ST