Technology is what makes our modern-day world go round. Also in the world of sports, technology is completely revamping how we compete and engage.
Top Tech For Modern-Day Sports
While the beauty of human athleticism is at the heart of sports, this doesn’t mean that technology doesn’t have a place.
In fact, it has several roles worth filling – think the prevention of injuries, analysing the validity of on-field decisions, and even creating an increase in fan engagement.
Below are just some of our favourite top tech revamps being used in the exciting world of modern-day sports right now.
Sensors Reveal All
Sensors are all about technology helping our bodies make the most of what they’re capable of. They come in several different shapes and forms, depending mainly on their function.
Examples of sports sensors include:
- The humble heart rate monitor. Used to track breathing and pulse, this is probably the best known and most used sensor of them all.
- GPS units. These track velocity metrics when training outdoors.
- LPS units. These also track velocity metrics – only indoors.
- Sleep trackers. For monitoring patterns as well as quality of sleep.
- VBT sensors. Short for Velocity Based Training sensors, they track weight-lifting performance.
- Inertial sensors. These focus specifically on shortening recovery times after injuries. They work by performing an analysis on human motion and balance.
- Accelerometers. These are particularly handy and keep tabs on everything from acceleration and speed to rotation and physical position.
Wearable Tech
Wearable tech has changed the way sports officials calculate scores and contribute to the compilation of all sorts of useful data.
Examples include head-mounted displays used in the helmets of race car drivers, the delivery of electrocardiogram results linked to an athlete’s smartphone, smart watches worn by referees, and so much more.
Tech For The Fans
When talking fans, the best sports experience is the one that is engaged and immersive.
Loyalty programs and other promotions like you’ll find at
playlive casino are an example of a fantastic way for fans to engage with their favourite games – not to mention benefit in wonderful ways in return for their support and patronage. These programs are absolutely driven by sports technology and include benefits such as VIP access to players and stadiums, meet and greets, and exclusive merchandise.
Some promotors are even trying out high-tech rewards such as cryptocurrency and special collectable digital tokens, or team jerseys with chips worked into their sleeves for registering and rewarding ticketholders.
Accessibility For All
Probably the noblest thing about sports is that it’s for everyone – including disabled fans who in the past struggled immensely with issues of access.
Technology is helping disabled fans in incredible ways – whether by ensuring something as simple as wheelchair access, or as complex as providing audio cues for the visually impaired.
But athletes themselves, too, benefit immensely from advances in technology. Examples include carbon fibre wheelchairs, assistive tech such as special swimming goggles for the visually impaired, and even motorised prosthetics.
Timing Tech
Gone are the days when races were timed by an ordinary stopwatch.
Today, racing events are determined by technology absolutely focused on split-second accuracy. Examples include starter pistons linked to clocks, clothing for tracking speed and motion, and even laser beams for determining winners.