Although we all know for a fact that most of the mainstream sports out there are not very open to implementing new technology in general. Considering that we take the solar soccer balls, LED multi-purpose sports courts, and sports bras to measure heart-rate of the player, as exceptions to this rule.
But a major sports goods manufacturer, Wilson, has introduced something novel for all the basketball players out there. It has come up with a smart basketball infused with sensors that you can pair with an app on your smartphone, with the purpose to keep track of the player’s performance.
The smart basketball has a variety of sensors, each with a different purpose e.g. monitoring movement, location etc. But the ball looks and plays just like a normal ball, because the sensors are all hidden inside it and are inconspicuous. These sensors then sync to a smartphone app that will act like a trainer or a guide for the player, telling him dribbling time, how long it takes for him to release a shot, which positions are the best and the worst in the court, and how well he’s shooting. It even keeps track of the type of shots he consistently makes or misses and makes predictions as well. Sounds like basketball heaven. What could be better than some divine voice telling your strengths and weaknesses during the game while you still have time to work on them? All that the player has to do is to switch the app on before shooting hoops and swooshes and the information will be immediately provided to him.
A Finnish company that specializes in artificial intelligence, SportIQ, Has agreed to join hands with Wilson in his venture to make this new basketball. Although, currently, the company is only focusing on the general consumer market, but Wilson aims to take this gadget to a professional and college sports level, hopefully in the near future. Oh and it doesn’t stop here. They are also hoping to expand this technology to other sports so you might begin to see smart baseball bats and smart tennis rackets as well, in the future.
This new smart basketball is expected to be available before this year ends, just before the holidays. Perfect timing, right? Check out the youtube video below for more
