AI-driven football boots accelerate
Investment companies located in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen recently led an initial A1 funding round which will see “millions” of yuan injected into Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) startup MicroTeam’s efforts to further digitise the game of football, local media have reported.
The investment will reportedly enable the firm, founded in 2014 in Shenzhen, to expand its supply chains in “five to 10” target markets, plus update and develop its algorithms.
MicroTeam’s platform uses AI and cloud computing technology to harness digital football data, collected from shoe cleats which link players of all ages and abilities to the football.
Equipped with sensors, flexible printed circuit boards and AI algorithm technology, the cleats harvest data through remote sensing. This makes them potentially useful for tracking match and training performance, as well as for monitoring youth development.
The cleats have the capacity to collect hundreds of data points, including ball contact, running, dribbling, combinations and other movements. AI-enabled ball sensors, accelerometers and gyroscopes offer a real-time picture of players’ posture and movements, Chinese media said.
Image: MicroTeam.
