MEMS in sports is not a new idea. Years ago, Freescale began demonstrating how MEMS could help analyze and improve golf swings by retrofitting accelerometers in the shaft of a golf club. Check out this 2007 video clip from Freescale. Since then, I’ve seen an increasing number of examples of MEMS in sports; not just in demos, but in actual products.
Like many things in high tech, good design has spurred the adoption and application of MEMS in sports. While hosting the first MEMS TechZone at CES last month, I saw another compelling example of MEMS-enabled sports from the guys at Diesel Dogs, as they were our booth-buddies and part of Freescale’s exhibit. Diesel Dogs has partnered with Freescale to develop Bluetooth Smart Weights, MEMS-enabled barbells that relay the movements of weights to an Android application. Diesel Dogs’s Smart Weights could be used for people who want to optimize their weight training workout. This is the kind of MEMS in sports that can help me become a smarter athlete.
Thanks to the lower price point of MEMS devices (including accelerometers, gyroscopes, and microphones), we are seeing an increase in the adoption and integration of MEMS in sports. This is such a hot topic that MEMS Industry Group (MIG) -- a partner of Sensors in Design (part of Design West Summit) -- will showcase MEMS in sports at next month’s conference.
“MEMS in Sports” will feature four not-to-be-missed presentations. Two of them, from Syride and R0R3 Devices, were such hits at MIG’s Technology Showcase at the MEMS Executive Congress in November, that I asked them to join me at Sensors in Design.
Syride focuses its MEMS in sports on surfing. Syride’s MEMS-enabled Sys-Evo -- a lightweight yet durable device that mounts onto a surfboard -- gives surfers information on wave height, speed, ride time, distance paddled, and calories used, essentially making them "smarter" surfers.
R0R3 Devices has designed a heart rate monitor (HRM) wristband that is way more comfortable than the typical chest band for monitoring your heart rate while exercising. It uses MEMS accelerometers to sense the motion of the person wearing it. The R0R3 Devices’ HRM interacts elegantly with standard oximetry sensors to facilitate more precise measurements.
MEMS based accelerometers,. printhead of Ink jet Printers, MEMS based sensors and the latest is MEMS based barometers. Feynman was right, There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom...
During the past years supplying our MEMS enabled motion capture suit I and my colleagues at Xsens have seen some crazy innovative sports applications enabled by MEMS motions sensors. How about capturing full body 3D motion during actual skydiving, snowboarding and Kung-fu Jump Dragon performance for the 2008 Olympic opening ceremony! (http://www.xsens.com/en/entertainment/live-entertainment/2008-beijing-olympic-games) more videos of various application here: http://bit.ly/yETuvi and here http://bit.ly/AphLK7
I will discuss these applications and the tech behind in the upcoming Sensors in Design event. Hope to see some of you there!
You've certainly tapped into a vein where there's lots of interest, Karen, judging by the comments here. I'll use my comment to put in a plug for the MEMS Industry Group (MIG), of which you're Managing Director.
I'll also redux the call for people to come to the MEMS in Sports session at Design News's Sensors in Design conference, which is part of DESIGN West the last week of March in San Jose.
Thanks for the plug, @Alex. What I find the best part of MEMS in sports is that it's finally relevant to folks like us - and it'll help us battle old age, immobility and improve our health and quality of life. And if we look cool doing it (using MEMS of course), so much the better! I am looking forward to Sensors in Design on March 28-29 as well!
Not sure if you saw this announcement from InvenSense (the darling of the newly IPO'ed) - they are entering the MEMS in Sports arena with a design kit for "The First Wearable Sensor SDK For Health And Fitness Applications Incorporating MPU-9150 The World's First Integrated 9-Axis MotionTracking Device"
Another great use of MEMS in sports equipment is the Velocitip Ballistic System used in archery. The system is a 100 grain field point that fits on standard arrows that measures velocity. When plugged into a hand held docking station the arrow tip provides instantaneous information on kinetic energy, momentum, trajectory and the arrow's drag coefficient. The info can also be downloaded to a PC.
@Allyson - great addition! Yes I have heard of the Velocitip Ballistic System and I know that Analog Devices MEMS is in there too - very cool. I am sure that Olympic athletes are using them to train (archery?); but to hunters use them too? I am always curious about the market applications of these things... thanks again!
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