How Super Bowl Technology Has Evolved

How Super Bowl Technology Has Evolved

As football fans gear up for the 50th anniversary of the Super Bowl this Sunday, we can expect to see not only a great athletic game, but a host of dazzling new technology at play behind the scenes, working to seamlessly bring the game to millions of viewers. To really appreciate how sophisticated this sport has become, let’s take a look at some of the ways Super Bowl technology has evolved in the last fifty years.

1. Camera Tech Has Come a Long Way

Back in 1967, Super Bowl 1 aired to viewers simultaneously on NBC and CBS—the only game to have been aired by two major networks at the same time. Unfortunately most of the footage from the game was wiped, as was standard practice at the time. Just this year the NFL was able to locate all 145 plays of the game on a few dozen different sources, stitch them together, enhance and color correct the footage, to bring the game back to life for the first time. The daytime game features tons of empty seats, despite $12 tickets, and of course no jumbo screen or pyrotechnics filled halftime show. While Super Bowl 1 is a fun throwback for film buffs, camera technology has come a long way in the past fifty years, and so too has the viewing experience. For this year’s 50th anniversary, CBS Sports is debuting exciting new cameras to bring television viewers even closer to the live event experience. With last year’s game bringing in a record 140 million viewers, this year’s anniversary match between the Panthers and the Broncos is the perfect time to show off new technology. CBS will have a suite of 70 cameras filming the Super Bowl, which is a big jump from the 40 cameras that covered last year’s game. The showstopper from the new cameras is sure to be the Eye Vision 360, a replay camera that can freeze any moment of play and circle 360 degrees around it, and then continue the play. With a fleet of 36 cameras mounted near the red zone at the 25 yard line, the placement will allow the cameras to capture the entire field, and then render together into 360 degree views for replays. Instant replay has become such a pivotal part of how football is both watched and played, so it’s easy to forget that it wasn’t until 1986 that the NFL first implemented a limited instant replay system. Since then the process has gone through a number of changes, from nine inch monitors in a skybox to high definition multiple angle replays on the side of the field for referees to review. What began as a process with walkie talkies and stopwatches has since evolved to 360 degree HD cameras and an off site control center, where refs can consult directly with officiating experts every time a review is initiated. Also new to this year’s Super Bowl are pylon cameras: eight high resolution cameras with high definition audio that will be affixed to the pylons on the edge of the endzone. These cameras are sure to capture some up close and personal touchdown footage, as well as provide another perspective on calls too close to make with the human eye. field-sport-ball-america

2. Beyond the First and 10

Back in 1997, Sportvision first brought the magic of superimposed yard lines to those watching on live t.v. The “first and 10” line shows where the offense must reach to make a first down. While this line appears magical on the screen, there’s actually a number of steps that go into creating it: first a laser in the center of the field is used to collect elevation points and map the contours of the field for a computerized rendering. Broadcast cameras outfitted with Sportvision sensors are then able to keep the virtual field the same size and perspective, even as the cameras pan, zoom and tilt. Finally, production operators make sure the line moves in the correct direction from the play when a first down is reached, all before you see that magic yellow line on your t.v. screen. In addition to the First and 10 line, this year’s new Matrix-like EyeVision 360 cameras will also be able to superimpose a virtual line on the play, enhancing the instant replay experience in much the same way that Sportvision enhanced live viewing with the invention of the First and Ten technology.

3. #SuperBowl

From brands having to work harder to wow audience with advertisements to new apps offering fans an interactive experience, the Super Bowl is as big a game on social media as it is on the pitch. The simple brilliance of Oreo’s 2013 Twitter response to the Super Bowl blackout—”you can still dunk in the dark”—illustrates the power of social branding perfectly. Last year a full 50% of ads shown during the game had a special hashtag, and this year will likely be even higher, with brands enticing viewers with potential rewards for retweeting. Not only is the 30 second spot during the game critical—as it should be with an average price tag of $4.5 million—but so too is how the brand engages with consumers on social media before, during and after the game. As for apps, there’s a whole fleet of apps to enhance your experience, whether you’re at the stadium, the bar or on your couch. Those going to the game should download the Road to 50 app and the Levi’s Stadium app, which lets you order snacks right to your seat, among other wonders. You can even download an NFL emoji keyboard if you’re so inclined.

The Evolving Face of Football

Every aspect of football has made huge leaps forward in technology recently. From the caliber of the halftime show, to upgrades in protective player gear, to RFID tracking systems embedded in players’ shoulder pads, the Super Bowl has undoubtedly evolved into a larger than life spectacle. It’s no coincidence that this year’s game is being held at the most technologically advanced stadium to date. Levi’s Stadium is fully equipped with 400 miles of fiber and copper cable. There are 1,200 Wi-Fi access points throughout the Silicon Valley stadium. In other words, there’s plenty of juice for the stadium’s 68,000+ fans to take endless selfies, view stats, order food, and share updates. So is this the nature of progress, or does this tech frenzy somehow detract from the purity of the game? We might watch for the ads, or for the instant replays, or for the apps (edible and virtual), but really we still watch first and foremost for the love of the game. The rest is just enhancements. *This article was originally published on TechCrunch. Check out my author profile here.

3 Ways Graphene is Revolutionizing Sports Gear

Since its Nobel Prize winning discovery in 2003, graphene has been hailed as a wonder material poised to be a game changer in a wide array of industries ranging from light bulbs to batteries to wearable tech. Thinner than paper, stronger than diamond, and more conductive than copper, graphene is a single-atom hexagonal lattice of graphite. With over 25,000 patents filed for potential applications, graphene is the next big material to know.

Sports companies have taken note of its lightweight, flexible, and durable properties, applying graphene in innovative new ways. Here are 5 products that have already gotten the graphene treatment, and we’re sure to see plenty more in the near future.

1. Tennis Racquets

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Austrian sporting goods manufacturer Head has been ahead of the curve in applying graphene to tennis racquets. The new Graphene XT Prestige racquet series utilizes the world’s strongest and lightest material to enhance the weight distribution from handle to head. This allows for better energy transfer and the power to hit the ball much harder than ever before, without any chance of the racquet shattering. With graphene replacing carbon fiber and titanium alloy in the frame construction, Head’s second generation of graphene racquets are up to 20% lighter than conventional racquets with the same swing weight. This means players have a faster racquet behind the ball but with the same feeling of resistance. In the future we can expect to see graphene finding more applications in sports where the equipment has to withstand and absorb significant impact, such as hockey and baseball.

2. Cycling Helmets

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The Spanish sports company Catlike has put graphene to good use in reinforced cycling helmets. Designed with graphene nanofibers in the roll cage, the Catlike Mixino helmets protect cyclists’ skulls with maximum durability and minimum weight. A big step up from previous helmets made with polycarbonate roll cages, Catbird’s graphene versions is not only stronger and lighter, but better ventilated, thanks to graphene’s unique heat transfer capabilities.

3. Skis

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Head has taken what they learned in improving tennis racquets and applied it to downhill skis, creating the Super Joy line, and most recently, the Monster line. Substituting graphene for a portion of the skis traditionally made with wood and glass fibres gives Head’s new skis extra titanal layers, allowing the skis to be stiff but flexible. Graphene’s enhanced reactiveness and responsiveness allows this new generation of skis to be lighter, easier to control, and more balanced.

What’s Next

Thanks to graphene’s adaptability as a composite material, we’re seeing just the beginning of a revolution in sports equipment. With a greater strength to weight ratio, enhanced strength and durability, and superior heat transfer capabilities, it’s just a matter of time before graphene rolls out in several other sports equipment applications.

 

3 Tech Innovations That Will Change the Face of Football

3 Tech Innovations That Will Change the Face of Football

1. Zero1 Flexible Helmet

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The high impact collisions that happen on every football play are often the equivalent, on the players skulls, of being hit in the head by a bowling ball dropped from a height of eight feet. When you think of it this way, it’s no surprise that 1 in 3 football players suffers from brain trauma during his career. What if there was a smarter helmet that could drastically reduce the amount of collisions that translate into concussions?

That’s exactly the goal of the Zero1 flexible helmet from Seattle company Vicis. Taking a cue from how automakers approach collision impact technology, the helmet features a multilayered approach meant to provide greater cushion upon impact than today’s helmets, which are mostly just plastic padded shells.

The Zero1 rethinks this approach with a middle layer comprised of hundreds of bendable polymer columns that act like shock absorbers. These columns transform from a straight line to a C shape and back again when hit, allowing them to slow the acceleration of force before it reaches the player’s head. Vicis’ CEO Dave Marker explained it to Wired like this: “Newton’s second law,” he says. “Force equals mass times acceleration. The mass of a player’s not going to change, but if you can slow acceleration—the “a” in the equation—you’re reducing force.”

Vicis currently doesn’t have any contracts, but it has received over $10 million in funding, and hopes to sell its helmets to NFL teams by next season. Aiming to reduce collision impact up to 50%, hopefully we’ll see the NFL embrace this huge helmet innovation immediately.

2. Zebra RFID Tracking Tech

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While football is the most watched sport in America, its use of sophisticated data analysis has notably lagged behind many other sports. From the huge size of the field to the intense physical contact of so many players at one time, figuring out the right way to obtain this data has been a huge hurdle. Better tracking could lead to a greater understanding of the game, and in turn, to smarter training strategies for winning teams.

Luckily a successful tracking system finally seems to be emerging for the NFL. An RFID tracking system from Zebra Technologies was tested in 18 stadiums last season. This season the NFL will use Zebra on all 32 teams.

So how does Zebra work? Two trackers embedded in the players’ shoulder pads have radio frequency identification sensors (RFID) that can track the speed, acceleration and position of individual players—up to 25 times a second! This new granular level of tracking will allow teams to better assess player performance based on actual play speed instead of old metrics like 40 yard sprints and height jumps.

Once teams figure out how best to analyze this new wave of data, we can expect to see coaches making even more tailored, customized training plans for individual players based on their strengths and weaknesses. This technology will ultimately enable NFL players to play smarter, not harder.

3. Gatorade Smart Cap Hydration

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Gatorade has been working on developing a “smart cap” bottle capable of tracking individual players’ hydration levels, sweat and sodium loss, and how much he needs to drink for optimal performance. Based on these individual needs, Gatorade will develop 12 different “fuel pods” that can be added to the bottle to optimize speedy recovery with specific levels of sodium and electrolyte replenishment.

Gatorade is currently testing its new technology on various sports teams, including the Kansas City Chiefs. While they’re still ironing out the wrinkles, we can expect to see this hydration customization arriving on a larger scale in the near future. It only makes sense in a data driven world for that level of precision to extend to what and how athletes are drinking.

 

 

Spidersilk: The Next Web for Performance Apparel

Spidersilk: The Next Web for Performance Apparel

What happens when a leading performance apparel company teams up with a cutting edge biomaterials company and a bunch of spiders? The future arrives, in the form of the first man-made spider silk.

 

The partnership between The North Face and Spiber heralds the future of textile manufacturing with the prototype of the first ever parka made with with man-made spider silk. This is easily the biggest breakthrough in textiles since DuPont launched Lycra 40 years ago.

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While the process of genetically engineering silk seems straight out of a Spiderman movie, the potential applications for such a breakthrough range from performance apparel to medical applications like bone reconstruction and wound healing. Designers in a wide array of fields have lusted after spider silk for decades. Stretchy, lightweight, and stronger than steel, spider silk was long believed to be the strongest natural material in existence, only recently dethroned by snails’ teeth.

 

While we probably won’t be wearing a coat made of snail incisors any time soon, we may well be staying warm in spider silk jackets in the near future. The Moon Parka, which just completed a three-week tour in Japan, is the first prototype of its kind, featuring a coating of synthetic spider silk made of genetically engineered microbes. Spiber’s next-generation Qmonos material is composed of 656 different spider silk variations. Until now, spider silk has never known useful applications because spiders cannibalize each other when confined and forced to mass produce their precious silk.

 

Spiber has been working on its manmade silk for eight years, and they’ve created over 250 thread varieties that they hope to bring to market in a variety of industries within the next year. The Moon Parka is just one part of a much larger and more exciting web.

 

As biotechnology enters the textiles industry, we can look forward to stronger, lighter materials with the potential to drastically reduce the pollution and toxicity levels prevalent in the textile industry. As the formula for genetically engineered spider silk microbes continues to be perfected, we can expect to see a host of new life science applications that would make Spiderman proud.

 

Image: spiber.jp; spiber.se

5 Tech Wearables for Improving Mindfulness & Meditation

5 Tech Wearables for Improving Mindfulness & Meditation

With projections on wearable tech becoming a $75 billion dollar industry by 2025, the largest sector ripe for cashing in on the wearable craze is healthcare. From fitness to medicine to wellness, the capacities for tracking metrics and translating them into goal-oriented wearables that are swiftly finding increasing demand among consumers is practically infinite. While there’s an obvious market for devices like the Jawbone Up and Apple Watch, there’s a growing number of wearable devices coming to market that encourage users not to do more, but to do less.

According to the most recent survey on stress conducted by the American Psychological Association, Americans are routinely more stressed than what the association considers healthy. Polling over 3,000 adults last August, the study found that the average American considers his or her stress level a 4.9 on a 1-10 scale, with 1 being “little or no stress” and 10 being “a great deal of stress.” We should strive for a 3.7, according to the association. 42% of participants reported not doing enough to manage their stress on a daily basis. Enter the next generation of wearables, aimed at helping users find calm amidst the chaos of modern life.

1. Spire

 

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Designed by Stanford University’s Calming Technologies Lab, Spire is a smooth stone that clips to your belt or bra, measuring breathing patterns and counting steps taken throughout the day to pinpoint your tension levels. Retailing for $149.95, Spire claims to be able to reduce your stress by 50% through embedded sensors that monitor breath pattern and sync with the app, which sends gentle reminders and notifications when your stress levels are higher than optimal. Spire has received rave reviews from users and press so far, mainly because it offers a solution to a very real problem of forgetting to breathe properly, especially when sitting for hours in front of a computer. Spire gets bonus points for its sleek design. In a sea of chunky bracelets, this smooth stone with a simple wishbone clip stands out as something you’d actually want to show off.

2. Being

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Being, the mindfulness tracker from Zensorium, is a different spin on the same concept. Being, available for preorder for $199, claims to be able to differentiate good stress from bad, while tracking heart rate, blood pressure, and sleep cycles. What’s interesting about this one is its attempt to map a user’s emotions through heart rate variability (these four emotions—stressed, excited, normal and calm—are pretty basic, though). Like Spire, Being offers deep breathing exercises when stress levels spike. Unlike Spire, Being has a bulky watch face that many won’t find comfortable to wear 24/7.

3. WellBe   

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Recognizing that stress is usually triggered by external factors, WellBe monitors heart rate levels and then matches them, through a patent pending algorithm, to specific moments and interactions throughout a user’s day. Available for pre-order with an expected December 2015 release date, WellBe is priced at $119. What sets this wearable apart is its eco-friendly cork composition, which makes it light and comfortable for all day wear. WellBe’s connected app is robust, offering guided meditations, positivity playlists, breathing exercises, and even a library of meditation mentoring programs that can be used for ongoing life coaching.

4. SmartMat

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It was only a matter of time before yoga mats went high tech. SmartMat is a responsive mat embedded with 21,000 sensors to detect your body’s balance, pressure and alignment. This data is then sent via bluetooth to a connected app that runs on iOS and Android. SmartMat requires a first time calibration process where the mat gets to know your individual body. Three settings allow users to choose between a voice guided practice for real time posture corrections, a headphone connected option for in-class use, or “Zen Mode,” which tracks silently for post-class review. There’s also a bunch of classes in the SmartMat marketplace. Made of eco-friendly PVC and disguised as a regular yoga mat, this one’s sure to be a hit with the namaste crowd looking to turn their practice inward. Pre-orders start at $297.

5. Prana

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Calling itself the world’s most advanced breath and posture tracker, Prana is another yogi-inspired wearable intended to encourage better habits over time. Featuring a waistband clip that lies flat when wearing, Prana’s unique angle is to turn the mundane task of improving posture and breathing into “gamified breathing,” with two minute games where you try to match your breathing to a field of flowers or a bird’s flight. Using bluetooth to transfer data to the Android and iOS app, Prana tracks 10 different breath and posture statistics. Backed by algorithms that can differentiate posture’s effect on breathing, as well as diaphragm vs. chest breathing, Prana collects a lot of data for a single sensor. Which begs the question, how much do we need to know about every breath we take? Prana might be best suited for those looking to address medical conditions like asthma or hypertension, but casual users might find the Spire more elegant.

The Bottom Line

Of course, you don’t need any of these devices to tell you when you’re feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or out of alignment. The human body has been sending us that data, free of charge, for millennia. But with the quantified self movement in full force, we’re sure to see more wearables capitalizing on the mindfulness sector in years to come. As these devices catch on in popularity, let’s hope to see a decline in stress levels in the American Psychological Association’s 2016 survey.

This article was originally published on The Next Web. Check out my author profile here.

Surfing’s New Wave of Smart Tech Innovations

Surfing’s New Wave of Smart Tech Innovations

Tech innovations have been sweeping the sports world by storm in the past few years, but surfing has remained relatively untouched until now. For one thing, surfing as a sport doesn’t require much gear, beyond a board and a pair of board shorts. For another thing, bringing smart tech into pummeling waves and salty water presents unique challenges for tech makers. But recent innovations for professional surfers have acknowledged the sport’s worldwide popularity and these exciting new technologies stand poised to revolutionize the sport and make a hefty profit in the process.

Fin Tech, Redefined

S-Wings Biomimetic Fins

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Surfing pioneer Tom Blake first attached a fin to his surfboard in Hawaii back in 1935, revolutionizing the sport. Previously, controlling the board was done by dragging a foot in the water. Attaching a fin made the board easier to control and steer, and it cut down on wipeouts significantly. In the decades since, surf designs have changed to include two or even three fins, but the actual shape of the fins stayed mostly the same. Today, S-Wings—a company developed by scientists and surfers in the south of France—is reconceptualizing the shape of fins for better control and agility. Interestingly, this new technology comes from studying the oldest “technology” on the planet: the natural evolution of fish. By studying the myriad ways that fish propel themselves through the water, the creators behind S-Wings have created more flexible, streamlined fins that promise a better ride. They’re still in the demo phase, but taking a new approach to an old staple is a good start.

Smart Phin

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Developed by surfer and engineer Benjamin Thomas, the Smart Phin is a surfboard fin with a sensor that can track oceanic data while the surfer catches waves. During a wave session, the Smart Phin measures temperature, salinity, and acidity of the water to give researchers insight on the impact of climate change over time. This info could be critical for scientists studying climate change, as the shoreline area where surfers like to hang out is the toughest part of the ocean to measure. Imagine a fleet of citizen surfer scientists out there instead. Scientists from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego are already using prototypes. Smart Phin is still in development and also in the running for the $2 million Wendy Schimdt Ocean Health XPRIZE, so be sure to keep an eye on this futuristic fin.

A Wave of Wearables

Ripcurl SearchGPS

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While Nike, Fitbit and Moov have capitalized on the wearable tech movement for more common sports, the first smart watch created entirely for surfers is the Ripcurl SearchGPS. Syncing with an iPhone app, the SearchGPS tracks waves ridden, speed and distance, and other fun performance metrics that have previously been unavailable to surfers. The app also converts your stats into visual data, making it easier to track progress over time.

Nixon Ultratide

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Now that you can log all your surf session data, you need something to tell you when and where to surf, right? Enter Nixon’s Ultratide, the first real-time surf condition watch. Basically, this watch tells you when to hit your favorite surf spots for glassy gorgeous waves. Ultratide works with Bluetooth and surf forecast site Surfline to tell you the tide, wave height, swell direction, wind direction and speed, water and air temperatures. It GeoLocates the closest break so you can surf on the fly.

Samsung Gear S2


BN-KC112_gearS2_G_20150831183124Samsung recently partnered with the Association of Surfing Professionals and released this great commercial about the surf community. The mobile giant recently released its first smartwatch of 2015, the Gear S2, which features a round face and will run on Samsung’s Tizen operating system. Although details haven’t been released yet, Samsung has hinted at the S2 pairing with custom apps for sports, including surfing. The waterproof watch could be the official tech used in surfing competitions by pairing surfers’ data with the judges. Head Director of Sports & Entertainment for Samsung Hoon Kang said the Gear S’ new waterproof case went through a rigorous testing phase and prevents wave impact from damaging the watch when crashing in the water. We’ll have to wait and see on the S2, but a partnership with the ASP could prove huge for Samsung’s surf status.

What’s Next?

Beyond fin tech and wearables, surfing has also gotten a recent upgrade from drone surveillance, which allows coaches to have a clear idea of the conditions their surfers are facing offshore. The drones are able to fly close to the water without interrupting competitions. Beyond that, I’m sure there will be a smart board with some kind of built in screen in the near future, and other video software to better translate the epic experience of what it’s like to be inside a massive wave to viewers on the beach. As techies start to focus their attention on the surf set, the possibilities for innovation seem endless.