GPS Sports an Australian based company has some interesting technology for coaches out there. It won't be long before you can actually track your player's vital signs during their game.
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GPS Sports)
In a world first, Australian Aussie rules football players have been rigged up with GPS devices that allow their coaches to track how far they run, what speed they run at and the hits they absorb during the game. This helps the coaches train the athletes independently for each position and allows the coach to track their workload and whether injured players are fit to resume the game. The ability of the GPS device to monitor the force of an impact is like having a Richter scale on a player to see how devastating a hit or blow could be when tackled.
The device is worn in a vest or strapped to the players back, it sounds like it would be perfect for the NFL and NHL as well. Some Australian rules players have even given permission for the information to be broadcast on television live during matches, this gives the TV audience an inside look at what the players go through during a game.
This is one of the most radical and stylish looking pieces of fitness equipment I have ever seen. If you have limited space and want something that looks like a piece of furniture, you need to take a look at the Kinesis Personal Gym.
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technogym)
It looks like a wall with a sleek looking pulley system protruding from it. Tucked behind the wall is the technology that enables you to take this pulley system from a piece of art to a fully functional gym.
The cable resistance and computerized pulley system enables exercises to be done with a complete range of motion and you can vary the resistance by simply turning the digital dial in the middle of the wall. If space is an issue and price is not, the Kinesis Personal is the product for you.
One thing sports like football, soccer, baseball, and golf have in common is that in order to play them you use shoes that have cleats in them.
When you run, hit, catch or throw, those cleats can tear up the turf and make holes in the ground. Well, a German designer named Daniel Wilhelms has developed a soccer cleat that is filled with fertilizer. Called the Naturistick, the cleat releases a dose of fertilizer with every step you take. This is an interesting concept that we may see evolve into other sports as a way to insure that our playing surfaces stay green and lush.
I don't know too much about them yet as the website is in German, but if you can read German then check out Daniel Wilhelms Naturistick.
READY, SET, GO!
The RS800 has been designed for serious endurance athletes and competition runners. The system provides an unprecedented amount of feedback on body performance and enables the planning, tracking and analysis of training to an exacting level near before realized.
The Polar RS800sd Running Computer is a complete system for planning, monitoring and analyzing your training. It provides an optimum combination of features for elite level athletes and their coaches. With the new Polar WearLink transmitter W.I.N.D., the Polar RS800sd? is part of the world's first integrated training system together with adidas running gear. It also comes with the new Polar s3 stride sensor W.I.N.D. for detailed speed/pace and distance tracking, and is compatible with Polar G3 GPS Sensor W.I.N.D.
"If you can learn to run with a shorter faster stride in events like long distance triathlons, half or full marathons you will be more economical and consequently more likely to keep running for the entire event" says Olympic Triathlon Coach, Brendon Downey. Distance running performance is a function of fitness and running economy and there is no other running computer available that can help runners work on both these factors to anything like the level of the RS800sd.
If your one of those people that doesn't like reading manuals then opt for a basic heart rate monitor because this one is so packed with tech it may take a month to learn how to use it. For more information go to POLARUSA
Sky Golf GPS has been around for quite a few years and was one of the first companies to offer a hand held GPS device for golfers. Once you purchase the device you can download golf courses that they have mapped from their website. So if your traveling to play golf or you want to know everything about your existing golf course the Sky Golf GPS maybe the device for you.
The SG5 Pro is for golfers who want a hand held GPS with advanced features such as a large color display and a long-lasting rechargeable battery. SkyGolf's advanced GPS technology is integrated with the very best Swiss engineering to provide unmatched reliability.
The SG5 Pro includes SkyGolf's patented IntelliGreen® technology, enabling golfers to measure the full depth and shape of the green from any angle of approach and shows distances for all targets and hazards on any of SkyGolf's many thousands of professionally mapped courses. Its vibrant color display features automatic backlighting to ensure easy readability indoors and outdoors.
For more detailed information and pricing go to SkyGolfGPS
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Nokia)
Pro Session Golf, a video analysis application for your phone, is now available worldwide. You can download the software to several Nseries Nokia phones, by simply going to Pro Session Golf and selecting the Buy Now tab.
The software enables you to capture your golf swing using the camera on your phone. You can use the software's split screen and drawing tools to analyze your swing. The software even gives you the ability to send your golf swing from your phone to the Internet or to another phone.
It comes with some sample swings and some video content from the Titleist Performance Institute MyTPI, that will help you determine if your swing fault may be caused by a physical limitation.
It is a great little application for your Nokia N95, N93i, N93, or N73 phone and is easy to download.
The Flip Video Ultra Series is the newest member in Pure Digital's popular Flip Video family of digital camcorders, the world's first camcorders with on-board software to enable editing, organizing, and seamless video uploading to AOL, YouTube and other video sharing sites. This is ideal for coaches that want to create a quick analysis of an Athlete's performance and email it to them.
Flip Video Ultra's built-in software greatly expands the range of possibilities for users to enjoy and share their video. New features make it simple to edit clips, create custom movies, and even capture still photos from video. For the first time, the software simplifies video sharing by directly integrating with popular sharing sites like AOL and YouTube to provide a seamless experience for both private and public video sharing. This allows consumers to share their videos as easily as they would digital photos -- a trend pioneered by Pure Digital.
The Flip Video Ultra Series is available nationwide starting September 12, 2007. The 60-minute (2GB) model is priced at $179.99 and is available in four colors -- white, black, orange and pink, while the 30-minute (1GB) model is $149.99 and comes in white and black. For more information check out The Flip
Casio may have the answer to every sport enthusiast's prayers. A camera that won't miss any of the action. With 60 frames per second and the ability to record and playback video at 300 frames per second, this could very well be the ultimate sports camera.
Casio showed off the as-yet-nameless prototype at the IFA consumer electronics trade show in Berlin. I must admit, I am a little giddy that this may actually be a real product. As a golf professional, I can't tell you how valuable this is. When trying to view a golf swing that takes about 1.5 seconds with a club moving at over 100 mph, you need features like this to really analyze a golf swing.
The one feature that Casio has built in which I think will be fantastic is the Pre Shot Burst Mode. This Ultra-high speed continuous shooting of action actually occurs before the shutter button is pressed. It uses an image buffer that is constantly refreshed with images of the action that occur in front of the camera's lens. Then when you press the shutter button, the images in the image buffer are recorded, ensuring that you never miss any of those special moments because you pressed the shutter button too late.
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casio)
The video capability of CASIO's next-generation camera shoots VGA-equivalent movies at a speed of 300 frames per second. This means that you can easily shoot ultra slow-motion movies at speeds that have until now been available only on professional level high speed cameras. Not only does this open up a whole new world of motion that is not apparent to the naked eye, it also provides a valuable tool for analysis of sports events and fast-moving action.
Casio does not have a date yet as to when it will be available, or a price, I just hope all this tech packed into a basic camera is not to good to be true. See more photos at Casio's site.
The X-Bike by Trixter is the only indoor cycle that allows the rider to functionally engage the upper body and core musculature while the legs do the pedaling. The exercise offers a total-body workout while bringing the natural movements of outdoor cycling indoors.
What makes this exercise bike unique is the patented handlebar mechanism that the rider pumps from side to side against adjustable resistance while the legs are pedaling. The X-Bike has been around for a while and has a variety of star athletes, from Formula One racing to BMX biking, using their products. If you're looking for a way to spice up your cardio, check out the X-Bike.
The VholdR looks like something out of a James Bond movie. Details are a little sketchy on this wearable camcorder but it looks high tech, and here's what we do know.
At 4.8 oz and just under 4 inches long and 2 inches wide, this little guy packs some serious tech. It films at 640 x 480 at 30 fps in mpeg 4 format. It has a microSD slot for additional memory and a USB 2.0 output to get your movies onto your PC. It comes with a rechargeable lithium battery that claims to have two hours of life, and has a variety of mounting options for those X-game fanatics.
The company is taking preorders and plans to sell it at $349.
The Web site for VholdR is as cool as the product, but it is a work in progress and it seems like the company producing the camera, identified as Twenty20 on the VholdR site, doesn't quite know what it's selling as of yet. I can't find any company contact info on the VholdR site, although a Web search yields a separate site for Twenty20, a maker of helmet cams. But I am not about to plonk down $349 for a preorder when so many questions remain about the product.
I think the concept is great and can think of a bunch of sports applications for this little gadget, but if I were you I would wait until it launches so we can do full review.
