Yeah, see, that's what I think may happen as technology gets more advanced. And honestly, basketball games have always dragged on in the end when it's a close game and one team keeps fouling the other...now technology is making them even longer! I doubt this ball will ever get used in a game situation, though--that would be waaaaay too complicated, don't you think? :)
Charles, I can see a lot of contributions being made through Kickstarter because of the massive appeal InfoMotion's technology has with sports and athletes. Good marketing strategy!
NadineJ, I agree. The market potential behind this technology platform is huge. Sports is a multi-billion dollar industry and what amateur or professional athlete would not want to have the ability to improve their atheletic performance based on the object they used in their sport.
Charles, My two sons would love to have a basketball, with this tech, to help them with their shooting and dribbling. The electronics technology of using DSPs instead of a microcontroller makes good sense because of the number crunching involve to provide accurate results of the basketball's dynamics. There's no limit to what electronics can be used in, just one's imagination. Great Article!
I agree, Nadine. I also think there's a market -- possibly a very big one. There are hundreds of thousands of basketball players (maybe millions) who need help in putting more arc on their shots, releasing the ball more softly, and loading their shots more quickly. I'm no marketing guru, though, so I would urge everyone to ignore what I say on this matter.
There's a market for this. Both professional and aspiring NBA/Olympic players and trainers would be very interested.
The Snow Boarding industry has used goggles that track performance for a while. The NASA Glenn Research Center was interested in the technology a couple of years ago for helmets but I'm not sure if that went anywhere.
I don't know, Al. According to factmonster.com, there are 250 million people who play basketball in an organized fashion worldwide. InfoMotion is marketing the ball through Kickstarter in an effort to figure that out for themselves.
Chuck, Do you have any idea how big the market is for something like this? It certainly is anovel idea, and the design incorporates a technology solutions that isn't exactly trivial. Must be amarket for this; just wondering if it supports a substantial business. Thanks.
There's a plus and minus to the trend toward more electronics in sports. Last night I watched an NBA game in which the last seven seconds of the game lasted about seven minutes, while referees watched video replays from three different angles to determine who touched the ball last. That's the downside. Hopefully, though, the upside is greater than the downside.
Yes, naperlou, I just actually wrote another story (not posted yet) on fabric that can be used to analyze someone's golf swing. Wasn't aware of the technology until just then...the company is called Danfoss. So it seems that literally, the game is changing!
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