While “smart” surfing may seem like a bit of a paradox for a sport well renowned for its laid-back participants, Lazerand claims it helps him to become a better athlete.
“It’s helped me become more consistent,” he said, noting that the data allowed him to adapt his cross-training to match his surfing style. “You have to be mentally and physically prepared, and the data I get from the Sys-Evo helps me do that. I’m not a tech guy, but this is really cool.”
The culmination of five years of research, the Sys-Evo is apparently so lightweight that some surfers have asked if the firm could possibly make it a bit heavier, in order to weigh the nose of the board down more on difficult waves. Users can also input data before surfing, like tides from the online tidebooks, which not only helps surfer safety, but can also tell the user when the best tide moment will be and where.
Surfboard equipped with Syride's MEMS-enabled Sys-Evo device.
The module itself contains a nine-axis accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, and allows for data to be collected both in and out of the water. “Surfers are big liars; they always want to brag and exaggerate to friends about the height of waves and their performance, but MEMS eliminates that,” explained Lazerand, joking that he’d even tried to hack his device to change the data after several instances of poor personal performance.
Not all surfers are particularly keen to adopt the new technology, however, with Lazerand noting that many were still a little wary of the technology. “I’ve had the most success with younger kids who love video games and grew up with the availability of data collection,” he said.
Whether the trend will spread or eventually dissolve, however, remains to be seen.
Now if we add a lite, powered, programmed exoskeleton to the person, they can be guided/prompted through the proper movements to enhance performance and to avoid injury. Like an instructor teaches how to fly a plane via dual controls.
As a self-avowed data junkie, I think this is really cool technology. I remember working 25 years ago on some Virtual Reality projects where we were trying to map the body in 3D space. Some of it eventually translated into telepresence programs and gaming, but nothing like the miniature sensors can do now. Just wait until energy harvesting gets integrated into these sensors and then they can go just about anywhere.
A few years ago, there was actually a television show called "Sport Science," which was all about measuring athletic performance with sensors. It was actually a good show for engineers.
Even if surfing has the reputation for being laid back, when it comes to competition, participants will do anything to improve performance. Just look at how performance-enhancing drugs proliferated. If MEMS improves performance, they will get the attention they deserve.
It's no wonder it was a big highlight f the show. Action Sports has been a catalyst for new trends for several years now. Technology in fashion is one example. The industry has also been a great agitator. The growth of Go-Pro accelerated crowd-sharing in a fun way.
And, it's great too see technology supporting the health of athletes. This can be used to keep track of, not only winning techniques, but also any degenerative effects on the body.
We looked at a number of sources to determine this year's greenest cars, from KBB to automotive trade magazines to environmental organizations. These 14 cars emerged as being great at either stretching fuel or reducing carbon footprint.
Researchers at MIT and Sandia National Labs have observed a reaction in lithium-air batteries that could help improve the design of these cells for electric vehicles and other applications.
Healthcare might seem to be an unlikely target application for the Internet of Things technology, but recent developments show small ways that big-data is going to make an impact on patient care moving into the future.
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