Performance capturing intelligent apparel tested
Sports apparel brand Under Armour is currently testing a line of prototype athletic gear for 10-30 competitors, including the latest athlete to be sponsored by the brand, Cam Newton, at this year’s National Football League (NFL) Combine training camp.
With a core sensor weighing less than 4.5 ounces, the apparel captures motion, heart rate, acceleration, g force and a host of other data. The removable pack contains 2 gigabytes of storage for constantly capturing and monitoring performance data.
The information collected can be broadcast via Bluetooth to smartphones, iPads and laptops so that scouts and trainers can view the power and efficiency of each athlete’s movements. Heart-rate and breathing-rate monitors are placed on both sides of the sensor pack, helping to gather even more data from the body’s core.
“What we have is something very close to the body’s center of mass that’s measuring the accelerometry data from that centre of mass,” Under Armour vice president Kevin Haley told technology website Wired.com.
