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.
Karen - As it out Robert O'Reilly from Analog is giving his MEMS – One Size Doesn't Fit All talk again at SEMICON West http://semiconwest.org/node/6451 and Velocitip is mentioned in slide 16. Analog really like this application for their product.
Karen - The system was originally designed to fit on arrows used primarily by hunters andIBO competitors. Full Flight Technology is working to develop a new tip that will fit on the narrower diameter Olympic style arrows. USA Archery is actively interested in those efforts, so we hope the design will help the team, if not in 2012 then shortly thereafter. We'll keep you posted on this.
Hunters use the system to determine if their combination of bow and arrow has sufficient momentum (some state fish and wildlife departments require a minimum momentum for large game hunting) and they also use the basic velocity, trajectory and arrow drag measurements to help improve their form. It's also good for comparing different bows and different arrows if you're in the market to buy new equipment, so pro shops like to be able to offer the use of the system to customers.
@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!
@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!
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.
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"
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!
On April 21, NASA launched a novel project, putting into orbit three satellites that employ an off-the-shelf commercial smartphone as the control system.
The legacy endpoint devices that control our critical infrastructure (utility systems, water treatment plants, military networks, industrial control systems, etc.) are some of the most vulnerable devices on the Internet.
In a switched-capacitor filter, capacitors and switches take the place of resistors and accurately reproduce the characteristics of continuous-time Bessel, Butterworth, and elliptical filters.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
6 
