Wearables in Sports

Sports are an important part of our society and culture. From on the field to in your house, wearable technology is proving to be vital in the sports and fitness world. Here are a few cool technologies that are helping, or hope to help, world of sporting:

The Zero1 Football Helmet by VICIS

These helmets, which were developed in collaboration with the University of Washington are hoping to replace the football leagues current headgear. The classic helmets were based off of motorcycle helmets designed to prevent fractures in the skull, not concussions. Concussions are a serious issue in contact sports and can have lifelong impact. The Zero1 helmets have the cracked cranium build of the traditional helmets, but also an outer shell that buckles on impact before rebounding back into shape, reducing the acceleration of a hit on an athlete’s head.

Shot Tracker for Basketball

Shot tracker is exactly what it sounds like. This piece of wearable technology tracks shot attempts- both the makes and misses. The device is made of 3 separated parts a wrist sensor (in the form of a wrist band or sleeve), a net sensor, and the app. When the players shoot, the wrist sensor sends a signal that the shot was attempted. The net sensor tracks whether the shot was made or missed and both those signals are sent to the mobile app that keeps track of the player’s shot status.

Brainband by Samsung Australia

Designed with heavy contact sports in mind, the band monitors the risk and severity of concussions. It’s essentially a high tech sports band that players strap to their heads. The sensors in the band read movements in the brain. LED lights placed at the back and side of the band indicate when a player is hit and the severity of the hit. All that data is then sent to a tablet, smartphone or watch and can be accessed by coaches and medical professional so they can understand the severity of the situation in real time. The device is still in its prototype stages.

SeeHorse for Equestrians

SeeHorse is the first of it’s kind in the equestrian markets and designed especially for horses. The device aims to keep both rider and horse happy and healthy. The equestrian wearable has five main features. The activity and movement tracker, temperature check, heart rate, respiratory rate, and an alarm that monitors all signals and communicates to the rider through the app. Through the app the rider can oversee the health and wellness of their horse and optimize their conditioning program.