Best Developments in Sports Technologies and Equipment

If you were to see a sports match of a couple of years ago, from the picture quality to the overall equipment for helping in decision making were greatly lacking. In these few years, the pace of development in technology has been massive.

Our modern world is filled with technology, and the dependency on technology is at its peak right now. The same thing could be said for the athletic world.

Technology helps athletes, fans, and officials in every way possible. The athletes can enhance their performance, fans can get into the game much more easily, and the officials can now make precise decisions for a fair game.

This article will give you a closer on how the sports technology market is changing sports and gain some knowledge on the new technologies.

Slow Motion Camera

This has been a game-changing addition to the sports and athletics world. These cameras are commonly used in fast-paced sports to replay certain important moments. Officials use the footage to finalise crucial decisions.

For example, in cricket, the officials can check whether the bowler was out of the boundary when catching the ball or not.

Advanced Sensors

Certainly, one of the best technological developments for the sports industry. The sensors are made to measure different metrics during a game. The sensors are used to judge a player’s plays and deem if it is a foul or not.

There are sensors that can be attached to the players’ equipment, helping players to measure different metrics of their swing speed, power, and angle. These datasets help them improve their gameplay.

Video Assistant Referee (VAR)

VAR was first introduced in the Premier League in Football after all the clubs voted unanimously for its introduction. It utilises the latest camera technologies in sports to make the referee’s decision precise.

With the introduction of VAR, a team of referees were located in the control room for them to analyse the call of in-field referee and correct them and inform them about any missing information.

Developments are being made to synergise the in-game sensors and video capturing systems, to provide more detailed information. This will help the referees and fans to get a better picture of the game.

Protective Equipment

The sports protective equipment market has gone through a revolutionary development. Equipment like helmets, gloves, and cleats have been leveraging all the impact data recorded by the sensors to combine them with advanced materials and produce better and safer equipment for the players.

The advanced technologies have allowed them to design the equipment so that the equipment does not hinder the players’ performance.

Wearable Tech

These have been in the market for quite a while and have helped the coaches and players greatly to enhance their gameplay, while avoiding any injuries or exhaustion.

Wearable techs are available in different sizes; some are attached to the players’ fabric, while other devices can be attached to the players’ bodies as a waistband or skin patch. They are wirelessly connected to a system managed by coaches, receiving real-time data on the player’s condition.

These technologies have revolutionised sports, allowing the coaches and players to enhance the training programs, in-game performance, and recovery from exhaustion after the game. They have also helped reduce the frequency of sports-related injuries.

ABS (Automatic Ball-Strike System)

This was greatly anticipated to be launched in Basketball games. This system leverages the new and advanced sports technologies accurately. This helps in removing the faults made by umpires as they would not be able to view all the aspects of the game.

The robot umpire tracks the ball precisely and gives an analysis of the ball passing the hoop and striking.

Augmented Reality for the Fans

While watching sports games, it might get confusing sometimes listening to the commentators and watching the game unfold.

To improve the viewer experience, infographics show the game’s details on the screen. These are the infographics and small pop-ups on your screen that show the game’s statistics.

These augmented reality tools are also helpful for commentators, as they provide detailed statistics of the game and individual players, enabling them to give elaborated insights on the game.

Streaming

The development of services like Netflix, Amazon prime, and other major streaming platforms, and becoming a prominent mode of entertainment. Throughout the past few years, most sports networks are also hopping on the trend.

With the development of sports streaming services like ESPNN+ and DAZN, fans can watch live games and exclusive content from anywhere around the world.

In Conclusion

The major advancements in sports equipment, such as sensors, wearables, protective gear, and analytics tool for the coaches has changed the way people interact in sports.

Streaming services and graphic tools have made it easier for everyone, from coaches and players to fans, to enjoy sports.