Evolution and role of wearable technology in sports world
Sports Wearable Technology

Evolution and role of wearable technology in sports world

Wearable technology is another avatar of advanced technologies gifted to humanity. The wearable technology in sports looks to be gaining momentum and helps sportspersons, couches, administrators related to all global sporting activities. In fact this innovative technology has initiated a great revolution and is here to stay forever to serve the sporting communities in various ways. As per experts wearable technology is offering a new definition in sports and gives a new dimension to the level of efficacy of wide range of sports across the globe. With this technology provides an intense competition and thereby fan can enjoy the game more differently than in the past. Read further to know more details of this wonderful technology developed for the sporting world.

Know the basics

Before going to the main topic we need to know some basics about the wearable technology which has been put to use in many sporting activities. This technology simply refers to electronic devices worn by users either on their body or clothing facilitating human-computer interaction. It includes activity trackers, smart clothing, smart watches, virtual and augmented reality devices which allow hands-free operations, real-time data monitoring, network communication, and data analytics. Use of wearable devices enables the use of other sports technologies. With a rise in the use of wearable devices, the sports technology market size is definitely going to increase.

Growing need of wearable devices

Evolution and role of wearable technology in sports world

The area of sports is ever growing as many players use sports for maintaining their fitness in their dail life. Also, the fans are growing for all the sports in all parts of the world. Hence games need to be played in the right spirit as well as with greater accuracy. It is here, the wearable technology in sports  comes into play for maintaining the quality of the competition as well as making the right decisions when it comes to decide the winning individuals. With greater professionalism and commercialization in sports and increased viewership, the number of tournaments conducted has increased manifold in all kinds of sports. This implies increased demand for technological solutions. Thus, the sports technology market size is expected to increase further during the future period. Hence there is a need for these wearable sporting devices in order to enhance the quality of the outcomes.

What are these innovative devices?

The subject matter of wearable technology in sports is very vast and cannot be described completely in this short article. Hence some of the gadgets that are wearable by sportsmen or sports administrators are discussed here so that readers can understand the needs of these devices. These are listed here and not given in any order of importance.

  • Smart Compression Sleeve: This is a unique device that replaces the regular fitness bracelet that is being used for capturing the heart rate. These bracelets keep moving around and hence disrupt the accuracy of the readings. To overcome this issue, few global manufacturers are coming with this smart sleeve wearable which is well suited for all kinds of activities.  This device comes with the compression clothing technology which can be well used through a smart phone application.
  • Carewear: This is yet another wearable device which can be used for immediate pain relief for the athletes. This is a wireless that is having an LED patch which emanates red and blue light to reduce the pain and thereby energize the tissues to recover fast by increasing the blood circulation as well increasing the temperature. This device can be used by anyone who wants a quick pain relief in any spot in the body.
  • Skiiot: This innovative wearable device is known to be a boon for the   next generation winter sports. Basically it is a digitizer attached with a sensor that is synchronized with the mobile or web application. This is presently used in the cross-country skiing. With this device one can measure the snow temperature during the ski performance. Also, the device records the surrounding conditions and also guides the player to use the right techniques while doing the skiing activity. This product is already in the market and is accepted by many sport administrators.
  • Track guiding watches: This innovative gadget is a boon for the track used especially the bikes and motorbikes. By using this unit one can easily do navigation without screen, map and voice. This twin device need to be worn in both ends as this watch offer the vibrations to know the user when to turn. Of course, the runner should choose the path and set the watch accordingly.
  • Head Set System for monitoring metabolism: This is a device invented by a German technologist which operates based on the breath. This can be used during the workout or during the sporting event to monitor the calories and fat burned as well as the overall performance of the user. People who follow healthy diet can also use this device in order to know where they stand in achieving their health related goals. The unit operates with intelligent algorithm which offers data about the performance as well as the training needs.
  • GPS based tracking system: This gadget is designed for professional team sports for tracking individual performance and also to detect the sports injuries caused during the sporting event. It offers many critical and actionable data for the participants as well as for the coaches. Such metrics are really matter for improving the live performance. There are many brands available in the market at affordable prices.

Future of wearable technology in sports

Evolution and role of wearable technology in sports world

There is no doubt that technology in sports has evolved in a great way over the last few years. Technological features sich as ‘Hawk-eye’ in Cricket, Tennis, Goal Line in Soccer, Hot Pants in cycling and so on.  However the use of this innovative technology has done real breakthroughs in the last decade. More than monitoring, technology has been widely used in collecting the right data of the live events which help the decision makers like coaches, referees, umpires and so on.

More importantly, most of the products used in the wearable technology in sports eliminate the human errors and thereby a win or defeat by the players has been accepted gracefully without any bias from the deciding authorities. In this way, these gadgets are boon to the players, fans and administrators.

Of course, these technologies also have some drawbacks by not allowing the players to perform to their best of their abilities as the analysis of the data make much psychological effect on the players as they have bee scrutinized heavily with the available data. Some feel the aspect of sportsmanship gets defeated by using these technology products or even statistical data offered by these gadgets.

It is strongly recommended here that future wearable technology needs to be used for genuine purposes and should not be used as mandatory. Also, the makers of these technologies should not compel the authorities to buy these gadgets with a commercial motive. This will surely ruin the spirit of the game as well as the people involved in all kinds of sports. Hence, a perfect balance is needed in using these wearable technologies that could improve the lives of sports professionals.

Innovative sports technology

Engineers, medical experts, and sport technologists are continuously working on developing new things in the field of sports. Their work is still going on in the area of research and innovation. The adoption of wearable technology in sports contributes a significant role in the development of players and greater fan engagement. Like decisions in business are vital decisions in sports are equally vital as the modern sports involve tons of emotions for everyone.  Hence, an integration of virtual and augmented reality in sports enables greater viewer engagement. With the advancement of technological innovations is working on with enough leaps and bounds, we will see an increase in sports technology market share in the overall sports market.

Bottom Line

After reading this short write up about the wearable technology in sports, readers should have got some valuable insights about the role of  this unique technology.  The sporting world is currently witnessing an integration of technology and sports like never before. Interestingly, this wearable technology offers excellent benefits for everyone involved such as the players, sports organizations and fans. As the area of sports is growing among the fans resulting increased profits as well as the events, there will be a greater influence of technology to power it all. Also, the current scenario offers great opportunity for the makers of wearable technology products as well as the service providers. There is no doubt that this technology is bound to leap forward and will surely grow further at a fast pace.

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