How Sports Are Being Transformed By Technology

The emergence of new technologies in elite sports is facilitated by two reasons: improved results and the need to record these results. One pulls the other. Tennis is a great example. In the 1980s, new rackets made of graphite began to be used en masse in this sport, and the strings began to look like thin but very strong wire. Such racquets were significantly lighter than the old aluminum and wooden ones, which led to a sharp increase in speeds on the court. So, the speed of the ball when serving has already exceeded the mark of 200 km / h. After studying this kind of technology concept, we know that you want to rest in velvet beds to ease the tiredness.

Advanced technologies already used in the fitness industry

TRX Maps
The system for analyzing the state of the musculoskeletal system allows, on the basis of just three squats, to identify what the athlete’s body is lacking, and to draw up a suitable training program.

Percussion massage
Various devices are used for it: pistols, spheres, rolls, balls. They contribute to the rapid recovery of muscles after exercise, prevention of injuries, relaxation of the body after sports.

World-Class Coach applications
App for personal/independent training with remote control by a trainer. The mentor draws up a training program, and you get it in your application, carry it out, noting all the results. The coach sees your activity and adjusts the program in a timely manner.

Peloton
The company, which literally within a year has become the largest player in the home fitness equipment market with a capitalization of more than $ 50 billion. The pandemic pushed users to search for interesting offers on the market, and they found Peloton for themselves. This brand not only sells cardio equipment for home workouts but also offers online lessons for the most effective workouts.

Analysis
Treadmills and exercise bikes analyze biomechanics, how the athlete moves, how the right/left side works, with what efficiency, where there are gaps. In professional sports, this information allows you to improve the result much faster. In fitness, this kind of information is also very useful for achieving a goal.

Electronic “eyes”
It was hard because of these innovations not only for tennis players, who were forced to change their style of play and tighten their physical shape. The judges simply did not have time to follow the game. Then electronic tracking and statistics systems appeared. One of the most popular of these tennis technologies is FOXTENN Top Real Precision, or Fox, which monitors the court with 44 HD cameras and ten lasers. Five servers process the information received with an accuracy of millimeters and milliseconds and then display the information on an external monitor. “Fox” was able to replace the line judges on the court, as even a few eyes closely watching the game are not able to compete with the electronics. In addition, the system collects information about each tennis player: running and serving speed, trajectory on the court, and other information for the player’s database. Similar technology is used in the American NBA basketball championship. All players on the court are monitored by cameras, and the information obtained with their help is used by the team coaches. A kind of autorepeat, but with statistics already prepared in advance.

Technical doping
After video replays were recognized as a legitimate refereeing tool, the referee’s work became easier and the number of errors decreased. But for the benefit of athletes, progress works much more actively. New technologies and materials are making it possible to produce ever more sophisticated equipment, and many of these innovations have a significant impact on entire sports. One such device is the RZR Laser swimming suit, the appearance of which has seriously improved the results of athletes who risked putting on a new generation of equipment. The main difference between “Laser” and other suits is the absence of seams (such a “swimsuit” is made using ultrasonic welding). Materials are no less important: due to the use of interwoven threads of elastane-nylon and polyurethane, oxygen is supplied to the muscles in large quantities.

Robot Championship
Another forecast is the emergence of separate leagues and even sports for robots. The successes of the same developers at Boston Dynamics show that such a turn of events is quite likely. Sooner or later, humanity will decide to hold a high-level robot competition for its own fun, and such entertainment is likely to be successful. Moreover, the topic of such competitions has already been raised more than once in popular culture. One of the most famous examples is the movie Real Steel, where humanoid robots fought each other in the ring. By the way, football tournaments with the participation of teams entirely consisting of robots have been held for two decades. However, in terms of entertainment, these games cannot yet compete with “human” football matches.