Inspiring Sports Technology
Fitness equipment
UnderArmour E39 wearable electronic garment
Wednesday, March 9th, 2011
This weekend at the NFL combine 10-30 athletes unveiled UnderArmour’s new compression garment with an integrated electronics system. The NFL combine is an athletic showcase for the top college football prospects to put their physical skills on display for the all the professional teams. The UA E39 shirt contains a removable sensor pack near the sternum and can give an athlete or coach instant feedback on breathing rate, heart rate, temperature, and movements. The sensor pack, nicknamed ‘the bug,’ contains a triaxial accelerometer developed in conjunction with a Maryland company called Zephyr. The system measures acceleration and change of direction. This can be used to dissect a player’s performance during running or explosion exercises.
The data can be transmitted to wireless devices such as laptops, iPhones, or iPads. The company will roll the garment out slowly starting with UA sponsored athletes and teams with a projected public release in 2012.
Article by Mike Vasquez
SporTracker new Iphone app – heart rate, speed, distance, cadence, height
Thursday, February 24th, 2011
In a press release by SporTracker, the company have provided a new Iphone app which can track your heart rate, calories burned, speed, distance, location and much more through a simple arm-band, rather than being strapped to the chest.
Using built-in iPhone GPS and motion sensors, SporTracker app takes control over the body parameters allowing its users to concentrate on their sport activities. With the incredible arm sensor that measures heart rate and calories burned and wirelessly transfers body parameters to smartphones.
There is also an emergency button allows users sending instant messages to a predefined number or posting the picture of the current location on Facebook.
SporTracker 1.0 is available for US $4.99 (or equivalent amount in other currencies) exclusively on the App Store in the Healthcare & Fitness category.
If you have tried the device please add your feedback below.
Article by Bryan Roberts
ViPR nominated for fitness industry awards
Thursday, January 6th, 2011
Interesting and simple fitness tool that is being picked up by many rugby clubs, gyms and professional trainers.
ViPR is designed to:
- Provide an effective, whole-body workout
- Build muscle and burn calories through strength and movement training
- Be lifted, dragged, thrown, stepped on – and pretty much any movement you can think of
- Be safe as it’s made from rubber
- Be suitable for all ages and abilities, with weights ranging from 4kg to 20kg
Prices range from £125 up to £250 ($400).
Watch this video to see London Irish rugby club using the ViPR.
Sports recruitment websites and job help
Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010
A lot of people have been emailing asking how to get a job in the sports equipment design and research industry. This page will be dedicated to helping those interested to get into the industry by posting new jobs, talking through the process of getting contacts and links to sports job recruitment websites.
So, you’ve decided to become a sports equipment designer, researcher or engineer. Well might I say that you are a lucky person because the job I have is easily the best in the world (for me) and I enjoy going into work everyday. The job is varied, exciting, challenging and rewarding. Hopefully, by reading on, getting contacts and applying to brands in the sports industry you will get lucky to.
Firstly, decide what you want to do by understanding your skills and experience. Designer? Engineer? Marketing? Researcher? Physiologist? All of the above? Begin to understand what it takes to succeed in each of the roles mentioned. Once you understand the difference then you are able to begin applying for jobs and tailoring your CV in the right direcction. It is not good enough now to simply say I want a job in the sports industry, you have to be specific. You have to get relevant experience in at least one of these fields by volunteering, developing your own ideas or getting in contact with someone in the industry.
Now, start to look at the relevant criteria needed to succeed in a job interview by going to the following sports recruitment websites:
Sports equipment designer series – 1: Generating the idea
Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010
I was sitting in the changing rooms after our local saturday match and my playing partner asked me what he should do about this great idea he had for a football boot. He had previously searched the web for advice but found little directly related to sport, so waited until Saturday before asking me as he knew I was in the industry. I gave him some advice and he said why don’t I write about it in my blog; hence this series of blog posts every week looking into the process of generating an idea, developing it into a concept, making a prototype, patenting the idea, making a model ready for manufacture and finally starting a new company, or pitching it to the big brands.
My friend was lucky enough to actually have a good idea in the first place, but what if you didn’t know how to generate a good idea? Well, there are a number of techniques I currently use in my job to develop new sports equipment but I will concentrate on two; the first is active learning and the second is spacial awareness. Once you have got an idea the next step is to develop it into a working concept which I will talk about next week.
