SPORTS PERFORMANCE measurement and injury prevention are exciting capabilities being enhanced by smart robotics, ‘sports drones’ and biotelemetry. The AeroTrainer is a cutting edge technical system that will offer greater insight into athlete performance. The AeroTrainer is an ‘unmanned aerial video biotelemetry system’ which utilises smart drone technology and bio-sensor / feedback systems to monitor athlete performance in real-time. It aims to provide innovative solutions to sports performance improvement, sports injury prevention and health monitoring.
AeroTrainer Sports Performance Management System: Photo Credit: PRNewsFoto/Samexa Corp
Professional Sports Performance Systems
The professional sports performance sector has an impressive innovation pedigree. Wearable Tech and Augmented Reality devices are also leading consumer trends in amateur sports markets. From low-end wearable computing such as FitBit to higher-end Augmented Reality HUDs (heads up displays) like Recon Jet, sports markets are driving exciting growth in tech innovation.
Black Box Thinking: Marginal Gains and the Secrets of High Performance
The AeroTrainer pushes even further into the professional sports performance arena. It aims to provide fully automated, real-time performance measurement and analytics. Its pioneering use of drone technology could open the door to many adjacent applications in sports performance. Semi-professional or serious amateurs may seek enhancements to their own capabilities by combining low-fi wearable tech with cutting edge robotics and drone tech.
Introducing AeroTrainer, Moses Frenck CEO of Samexa Corp said, “While the AeroTrainer will be capable of features such as racing alongside a track runner or automatically following specific plays or players on a football field, it will also monitor heart rates, body temperatures, and the frequency and intensity of impacts to give coaches a real-time picture of their players’ physical status. The aviation and robotics industries are morphing at an accelerated pace. Autopilots, navigation systems, and advanced flight controls typically found in traditional aircraft are being replicated in more advanced ways in unmanned aerial systems. The AeroTrainer will bring these technologies to athletes and their trainers to enhance their training and help prevent injuries.”
The Biochemical Basis of Sports Performance
Sports Injury Prevention
Preventing sports injuries through biotelemetry is an interesting tech application. Minimising sports injuries obviously leads to better sports performance, due to fewer periods of recuperation and lost training.
The AeroTrainer includes sophisticated 360 degree video capture systems and models against which movement of athletes can be tracked. In terms of biotelemetry, the system also tracks vital signs such as heart rate and body temperature, which can be used to monitor for heat related illness and cardiac problems.
Data and video access and sharing as well as analytics capabilities will be available through a myAeroTrainer app.
Emerging tech is pushing analytics and real-time performance monitoring capabilities forward at an exciting pace. The sports performance market is large and interest in wearable tech and Augmented Reality Devices for sport very significant. Biotelemetry is an interesting prospect in sports broadcasting. I can easily imagine real-time biotelemetry analytics being used to ‘enrich’ player statistics and providing talking points around why one player (or competitor) excelled over another.
AeroTrainer is currently crowdfunding via Indiegogo and extending product testing with US high schools.
You can read more about AeroTrainer and how it is using cutting edge sports performance technology at http://www.myaerotrainer.com.
Further Reading on Sports Performance
- Sports Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation: Integrating Medicine and Science for Performance Solutions
- Applied Sport Psychology: Personal Growth to Peak Performance
- Qualitative Research Methods in Sport, Exercise and Health: From Process to Product
- Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology
- Exercise Physiology: Nutrition, Energy, and Human Performance
