Sports
The Climax bioethanol-powered supercar
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Greener motoring doesn't usually mean high-performance, but bio-ethanol powered sports cars like the Lotus Exige 265E and Aston Martin's Vantage GT2 have shown that the two terms aren't always mutually exclusive. Now another British company is joining the ranks with the Climax mid-engine open-top two seater. Read More
Universal remote control with built-in WiFi, color screen
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There’s no point hauling yourself off the couch to go outside only to find that the weather’s terrible, right? The Universal Smart Remote Control from Acoustic Research eliminates the guess work displaying up to date weather information, plus news, sports and TV listings using a built-in WiFi connection. Read More
ZEISS Victory binoculars integrate laser rangefinder
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Carl Zeiss has incorporated a laser rangefinder into its new Victory RF binoculars, providing hunters, hikers and birdwatchers with an all-in-one viewing solution in a compact form factor. The Victory 8x45 T RF and Victory 10x45 T RF binoculars feature a world first design that incorporates a folding bridge without separate transmission optics and boast fast rangefinding capabilities that can determine the distance from an object up to 200 meters (300 yards) away in less than one second with an accuracy down to one meter. Read More
Cy-Fi Bluetooth wireless sports speaker
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There's nothing like strapping on the earphones and cranking up your favorite tunes to help you through a serious bout of exercise, but in many outdoor scenarios, especially cycling, this can become a major safety risk by preventing you from hearing traffic noise and other potential hazards that might not be visible. This is the thinking that inspired Los Angeles entrepreneur Jeff Lotman to invent the Cy-Fi Bluetooth wireless sports speaker, a palm-sized unit that attaches to a bike or backpack and wirelessly transmits music and phone calls from Bluetooth enabled devices. Read More
Honda's all-new 2009 CRF450R Motocrosser gets fuel injection
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Honda's CRF450R motocross bike has been hugely successful since its launch in 2002 - and although the bike is already recognized as the class leader, it's receiving a kitchen-sink included upgrade for 2009. Lighter, quicker, more powerful and with even tighter mass centralization for quick handling, the 2009 CRF450R also sports a Honda first - battery-free, programmable fuel injection that raises output power and control while dramatically reducing fuel consumption. Out of the box, Honda says it's two seconds faster around a supercross track than this year's bike. Read More
Flow measurement gives Olympic swimmers the edge
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One of the secret weapons of the US assault on the pool in Beijing is a high-tech flow measurement technique developed at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute which aims to help athletes gain that critical few extra milliseconds by providing state-of-the-art analysis of how much energy the swimmers exert and how their body affects the water. Read More
Cleatskins take sports shoes to the street
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Designed to slip over cleats used in sports like soccer, baseball, football and golf, this new footwear accessory protects studs off the field and eliminates the need to change shoes after training or a match. Read More
Nike’s USA Track and Field uniforms unveiled
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Shaving milliseconds of personal best times could mean the difference between gold and silver at the forthcoming Beijing Olympics - and once again high-tech clothing is seen as one way of finding that extra yard. Speedo's LZR Racer swimsuit has already had a record run since its release in February and now it's Nike's turn to bask in the Olympic spotlight with the unveiling of its new ultra-lightweight uniforms for the USA’s 2008 Track and Field team (USATF).
Plans for 193,000 square foot indoor golf center
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When you think indoor golf you usually think mini-golf: leaving the bag at home and tackling odd shaped obstacles with your putter. All good fun, but hardly a serious training session for your all-round game. This impression is set to change if the Indoor Golf Arena® concept takes off. Aiming for a 2010 opening, the planned "world’s largest Indoor Golf Center" in The Netherlands will incorporate 20 ProTee golf simulators, a roof top driving range with 34 bays and 150,00 square feet (14,000m2) of golf practice facilities with chipping greens, bunkers and water hazards catering for every aspect of your short game along with a huge golf shop, kid’s training facilities, a wellness center with sauna and spa and a 4-star hotel. Read More
The fully autonomous "follow me" golf caddy
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May 16, 2008 Mark Twain once famously quipped that "Golf is a good walk spoiled". Perhaps if he'd had access to the fully autonomous Shadow Caddy, he might have been a little more enthusiastic. The ability to trail you around the course without the use of remote control makes this a civilized compromise between dragging a set of clubs and foregoing the benefits of a pleasant stroll entirely by riding in a golf cart. It's also cheaper than hiring a human caddy and because it operates itself, it leaves your mind free to concentrate on connecting with that little white ball. Read More
3D motion capture technology gives Olympic triathletes the perfect fit
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April 18, 2008 The Retul 3-D motion capture and analysis technology system for cyclists promises fast and accurate data collection to aid in bike fitting, avoiding injury and ultimately, better bike design. The active system, which uses infra-red LEDs (light emitting diodes) placed on the body in specific skeletal locations, will be used by the US Triathlon team in the lead up to the Beijing Olympics. Read More
Nike+ SportBand training aid
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April 3, 2008 Expanding on its "Nike+ experience", the sports giant has released a new SportBand designed to help runners monitor performance and enhance their training. The Nike+ SportBand is a minimalistic wristwatch that monitors steps and allows runners to check time, pace, distance and calories burned at a glance. The watch face is a detachable LINK that captures all the run data from a sensor located in the runner’s Nike+ ready footwear. Once a run is completed, the LINK plugs into a computer via a USB socket so data can then be sent to nikeplus.com where a runner’s progress is tracked. Read More
Extreme swimming pools: the biggest and deepest dips on the planet
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February 28, 2008 Looking to beat the heat this summer by installing your own swimming pool? We thought we would give you a taste of what you almost certainly can't have when designing your dream backyard aquatic paradise. Firstly, there's the world's largest pool with an area equivalent to an incredible 6,000 standard-size 26 ft long domestic pools located at the San Alfonso Del Mar resort in Chile, and, going to the other extreme, there's Belgium's amazing 100 foot deep, 660,000 gallon (and heated!) Nemo33 dive pool. Read More
Fit fur life doggy treadmill
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No matter how big a backyard you have, the reality is that your dogs will not walk itself. Dogs need to be encouraged and stimulated to pound the pavement. Inspired by a human fitness regimes, dogs can now work the treadmill in order to stay fit, thanks to Fit Fur Life Treadmills. Read More
SPEEDO LZR RACER - the world's fastest swimsuit
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February 14, 2008 Following three years of research that included input from NASA, tests on more than 100 different fabrics and suit designs, and body scans of more than 400 elite swimmers, Speedo has launched its most hydro-dynamically advanced - and fastest - swimsuit to date. The SPEEDO® LZR RACER™ is made from a unique lightweight, water repellent and fast-drying fabric that has been developed to reduce drag and help hold the swimmer’s body in a more streamlined shape. Speedo says the suit has been independently tested as the "world's fastest", a claim that translates to up to 5% more efficiency for swimmers and hopefully, at least for Michael Phelps and other elite athletes donning the suit in Beijing later in the year, more gold medals. Read More
Beijing’s Olympic Aquatic Centre: the eye-catching, eco-friendly Water Cube
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February 6, 2008 Construction work on the Beijing National Aquatic Center began in December 2003 in preparation for the 2008 Olympics and four years later, a stunning piece of architecture has been completed. The “Water Cube” is a rectangular-shaped steel building covered by a membrane of brightly lit blue bubbles which is incredible to look at but it is also important on an environmental level. The Water Cube consists of 100,000 sq m of ETFE, (Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene) a unique transparent plastic which absorbs solar radiation and reduces thermal loss. This is the first time EFTE has been used in China and it is the world’s largest and most complex EFTE building ever constructed. Read More
Coleman’s Nightlight Airbed for camping kids
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February 6, 2007 Kids love camping but as soon as the sun sets, the great outdoors can seem a little scary, especially when they have to crawl into a dark tent. The Coleman Company's solution is the Nightlight Airbed, a kid's camp bed consisting of a comfortable 8-inch thick air-mattress with a built-in nightlight. The 3-LED nightlight lasts for 8 hours, so it will provide a reassuring glow long after the campfire has died down.
Snowter: the BMX of the ski slopes
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January 22, 2008 The winter sports market is proving a little conservative it would seem. Inventors looking to push beyond skis and snowboards in search of new ways to enjoy the ski slopes aren't getting much enthusiasm from major companies – but those that have the vision and means to bring their own ideas to the market are coming up with some very interesting results. We recently covered Venomsnow's Switchboard, essentially a snowboard with a suspended steering bar – and now there's the Snowter, which looks something like a seatless BMX with two mini skis replacing the wheels. You split your feet between the front and rear pedals as you like, then steer it with the handlebars at slow speeds, and dig the rear in to carve turns or drift it like you're power-sliding once you've got some pace up. Read More
Twice the fun: Cozy Cruiser Double Baby Sled
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January 6, 2008 This winter, grownups might be maneuvering down the slopes on a Ski-Doo snowmobile or even a Snoxcycle, but the kids will have a safer trip careering down on a Cozy Cruiser Double Baby Sled. This nifty sled is inflated by air pump in about five minutes and is comfortable but sturdy with three-sided security enclosures and tough, welded-on rubber handles. It is made from crack-and-cold-resistant PVC and is light enough to drag through the snow using the extra-long tow rope. Read More
Life saving Nebulus floatation device
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November 19, 2007 Over 50 deaths per year in the US and Canada are attributed to drowning when snowmobiles and ATVs (All Terrain Vehicles) crash through thin ice. In an effort to significantly reduce the risk of such tragedies occurring, the University of Minnesota in partnership with JTW Associates have developed the Nebulus Emergency Flotation Device - a self-inflating shell that deploys quickly and allows a water or ice rescue to be performed by one person without waiting for back up. Read More
Venomsnow’s Switchboard hits the ski slopes
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Venomsnow’s Marcel Jonker hopes his company’s double-hinged Switchboard will open up a new segment in the winter sports market alongside skiing and snowboarding. The Switchboard is made up of two short woodcore boards joined end-to-end on a double hinge, with lightweight footstraps on top, twin skates underneath the rear board, and an aluminum steering bar on a pogo stick-like suspension unit mounted on the front board. Is it the evolution of the snowboard, or the kick-scooter of the ski slopes? Whatever your opinion, it’s hard not to be fascinated by this innovative product from the Netherlands. Read More
Smartpeed multi-lane timing system offers reactive training
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October 24, 2007 A wireless, multi-lane sports measurement and training system designed to assess critical aspects of sports performance including speed, endurance, race-pacing, reaction time and decision making in all land-based sports has reached U.S shores.
New speed-climbing record set on El Capitan
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October 17, 2007 It’s not exactly new technology, but the human body is still the most impressive piece of hardware on the planet - and when it attains spectacular new milestones like this one, we see it as worthy of our readers attention. Alexander and Thomas Huber have set a new speed-climbing record on the Nose of El Capitan – scaling the famous rock face in Yosemite National Park in a time of 2hr 45min 45sec. Read More
ATC 2K Waterproof Action Cam for outdoor adventurers
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October 15, 2007 The ATC 2K Waterproof Action Cam is a ruggedized, fully contained device that delivers full color digital video in three resolutions - from 640 x 480 to 160 x 120 - at either 30 frames per second for smooth playback or 15 frames per second to increase recording time. Released in the US late last year, theATC 2K has now reached Australian shores at a cost of AUD$199. Read More
Tiny body sensor provides real-time athlete monitoring
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September 14, 2007 Real-time athlete monitoring is now firmly entrenched as an essential tool for elite athletes, with a growing array of sports monitoring systems available for both top-level sportspeople and your average fitness fanatic. This new body sensor currently under development at Imperial College promises a new level of usability by virtue of its form – the cufflink sized device clips behind the ear so as not to impede performance and delivers extensive metrics on posture, stride length, step frequency, acceleration and the body's response to shock waves. Read More
Real-time swing coaching - iTrainer Golf System
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May 30, 2007 UPDATED - NEW IMAGES - The sheer volume of literature produced with the aim of perfecting the golf swing could fill entire libraries, but the problem has always been how to successfully translate this information - or advice from a coach - into your own game. iTrainer Golf provides a solution through real-time analysis and swing correction. Using a Bluetooth module attached to the club, the sophisticated system uses 3D sensors to measure key aspects of your swing, compares them with an optimum swing profile and provides immediate feedback via a wireless headset. Read More
Why the America's Cup is the oldest and richest prize in sport
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May 22, 2007 In a fascinating study, Allianz, the main sponsor of BMW ORACLE Racing, has released details of a report into the economic impact of participating, winning and hosting the America's Cup, the oldest trophy in international sport. The report takes into account a range of factors such as infrastructure investment, international visitors, media, sponsor, business, construction, accommodation, hospitality, retail, entertainment, transport and logistics and the conclusion is that it provides a massive fiscal injection. The report makes interesting reading. If Alinghi won the Cup and took it to Dubai, the economic impact for Dubai would be US$10 Billion. If BMW ORACLE Racing were to win the Cup and take it to either San Francisco or Newport the corresponding economic impact would be US$9.9 B or US$4.5 B. Total economic return for hosting the 33rd America's Cup in Auckland, New Zealand would reach US$1.75 B, however Emirates Team New Zealand could expect to generate increased revenues if it chose to host the event in Dubai. Total economic return from Luna Rossa winning and then hosting the America's Cup in Genoa, Italy would be in the region of US$3.75 B. Right now, the most likely scenarios involve Luna Rossa and Emirates Team New Zealand will fight out the final where they will win the right to take on Alinghi. Read More
Eball sports simulator goes mobile and inflatable
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May 18, 2007 You may recall our enthusiasm last year when we reported on eballgames and its development of an interface between a real ball and ball games – think of it as a CHI (Computer Human Interface) for any real world ball game and you’re close. Motion and speed sensors take your kick, throw or golf swing and play out the results on the big screen, for better or worse. The crowd will roar or express their disappointment, and the commentator gives you a pat on the back or a serve for missing. The ball goes into a net and is ready for the next player to have a go. It's simple, quick fun and it continually breaks records for drawing crowds wherever it is installed. Now the company has taken its VR sports simulator and developed it into a number of inflatable structures so the promotional killer-app can be quickly set up anywhere, indoors or outdoors. Eballgames is already working on many different sports and is keen to discuss development opportunities with interested parties. We see it as the ultimate Wii peripheral for kids that want to play ball games. Indeed, there’s plenty of opportunity for the development of remedial and skills development games using this technology. Read More
Real-time athlete monitoring - the future of sport
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On-the-fly physiological monitoring of athletes is developing to a stage where an elite sports coaching box is looking more and more like a Formula One garage, each player being constantly monitored to ensure maximum performance while avoiding injuries. Speed and conditioning expert Dr Adrian Faccione, founder of GPSports talks to us about the cutting edge of elite athlete management, and the amazing future technologies that are now in development. The original 35 minute MP3 of the interview with Dr Adrian Faccione is available here. Read More
Cooling glove invigorates overheated athletes - and also delivers training performance gains
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May 9, 2007 While traditional body cooling systems such as ice vests, wet towels and misting fans may feel like they're working to the benefit of the user, they're actually quite ineffective at reducing the body's core temperature, as they work against the body's natural insulation and heat retention systems. Through extensive research into mammalian heat regulation systems, AVAcore has developed a simple, portable device that effects heat exchange to the body core extremely quickly. You don't necessarily feel cooler, you just feel completely refreshed and less fatigued - and the system is producing some remarkable and unexpected results for athletes. Read More
Bodywall finding application in all sports
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March 21, 2007 The Bodywall is designed to assist athletes to stretch effectively, with its combination of high-adhesion gloves and shoes and high-tech wall surface offering spiderman-like capabilities. It is so effective at stretching the muscles an athlete uses in any particular sport that when we first wrote it up last September, we forecast it would become part of the training regime of all athletes. The reason it is applicable to all sports, and hence a generic sporting product is that it achieves its goals using the wall, gravity and the human body - the only common element in every sport. As the worldwide interest in the product has blossomed since our article, thye man who conceived Bodywall, Chris Toal, has seen it used in a fascinating variety of ways to achieve stretching and exercise in different sports. The company is now developing aids so that the Bodywall can be used even more specifically - see the images here and here and here.
Merrell Sports sandal
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October 25, 2006 A new shoe from Merrell caught our attention the other day and to say we were blown away with the look of the shoe is an understatement – somewhere between a sandal and a sports shoe, it’s a sandal with hiking boot support and the on-demand advantage of an athletic construction. Beyond that, the Chameleon II web is aimed at a target consumer “with multi-ambitious outdoor aims, who frequently shifts speed, sites and steepness of terrain.” Not much more is known at this stage other than a US$90 price. Read More
Sporting gloves and boots with 16X times more grip in the dry and 8X in the wet
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October 25, 2006 There’s nothing as important as a competitive edge in the high-stakes game of world class sport and the recent launch of a new manufacturer in the sportswear industry with a seeming significant advantage will be interesting to watch. Simon Skirrow has spent three decades in the global sports industry, including many years at Adidas in charge of global marketing, promotions, product and sales, and his new company, SS Sportswear was established less than three years ago to bring its Nomis grip technologies to market. Independent tests show that Nomis Control Leather Technology gives up to 16 times more grip and control on the ball in the dry and eight times more grip and control when the leather gets wet. Not surprisingly, quite a few professionals have trialed the technology and a few have walked away from lucrative contracts with competitor products to stay with the Nomis technology, most notably Liverpool star Harry Kewell amongst more than 40 professionals that have begun wearing the boots. Nomis is available in both boots and gloves in the UK, USA, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Germany and the internet and the company is seeking further international distributors. Adding weight to the professionals who have adopted the new technology, two of NOMIS' boot designs took first and second place in the 2006 Soccer International Magazine Boot Test, beating big-name brand competitors including Adidas, Nike, Puma, Reebok and Umbro. Both NOMIS boots scored top marks for comfort, stability/manoeuvrability, touch/feel and received a perfect score for the 'value for money' category. Read More
NO ban on Hypoxic Training
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September 20, 2006 The Executive Committee of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has decided not to ban Hypoxic Training systems and has not added artificially-induced hypoxic conditions to the 2007 List. The Committees found that the method was performance enhancing, determined that the methodology was contrary to the spirit of sport, raised some concerns but was inconclusive about the method's threat to athlete health. A substance or method may, but is not required to, be added to the Prohibited List if it meets two of these three criteria. There’s been a lot of discussion regarding the preliminaries for this decision and the subsequent misinformation surrounding the committee's determination that Hypoxic Training is contrary to the spirit of sport. Here are a few excellent resources for those whose mind is not yet made up: Interview with Dr John Hellemans of the New Zealand Academy of Sport South, links to WADA submissions from various authorities, and an excellent letter from Doriane L. Coleman , Professor of Law at Duke Law School, and an affiliate of Duke Law School's Center for Sports Law and Policy. Read More
Interfacing real world ball skills with the computer game
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August 21, 2006 The Computer Human Interface (CHI) comes in many different guises, and has come a long way since we punched holes in cards with paperclips. Indeed, games appear to be the key laboratory for the CHI as we continually see new ways of getting real world and virtual world to mix in a computer game. In recent times we’ve seen such interesting game interfaces as the Bodypad, Xboard, Entertaible,, the mental typrewriter, and the Virtusphere and now we’re really impressed with ICE’s Striker Pro which is a soccer striking game where the player takes a penalty kick at a success goal – just the World Cup was decided. The machine records the speed and angle of the soccer ball after it is kicked and reads the information into the game in real time so a virtual ball is kicked into the game with the same power and trajectory for an incredibly realistic experience, complete with goalie histrionics, umpires call and crowd feedback. The machine retails for US$11,000 and the level of difficulty can be adjusted from two year old all the way to world cup professional. Now the technology used to create the Striker Pro is being adapted to other sports and the developers of the Striker Pro, eballgames is seeking distribution partners wishing to develop games for other football codes, golf, baseball, hockey, tennis or any other sport. “We have been getting it all working just right for the last few years and we now know we can build the interface and the software for any sport, and deliver 100 machines on time, so now we are seeking people to work with around the world,” said eballgames founder Tony Course. Read More
