The creation of the bra was spearheaded by Danielle Witek, a Reebok designer, who stumbled upon the technology while thumbing through a science journal (something she does for fun). In 2005, chemical engineers at the University of Delaware had invented a new substance called Shear Thickening Fluid, a gel-like solution that takes liquid form when in a still or slow-moving state, and stiffens into a solid when moving at high velocities. It was originally designed to be a modern form of armor technology, since you can incorporate it into a protective garment to defend the wearer from items flying at their body at a high speed–it’s since been used in everything from Kelvar bulletproof vests to NASA spacesuits that protect astronauts from shrapnel.
The Kelly Slater Wave Co. purchased the 20-acre property in Lemoore in 2014. According to a report in Bloomberg, Slater chose Lemoore, a small city with a population of around 25,000, primarily because it was inexpensive. The property cost around $575,000, roughly half the price of a two-bedroom condo in San Francisco. The fact that two lakes already existed on the property also made it appealing. But if Slater was hoping for discretion when he chose Lemoore, which is located more than 100 miles from the California coastline, that part didn’t quite pan out: The internet has been in a frenzy about this man-made wave since Slater first started filing patent applications.
By 2015 the first version of the wave pool was operational. It is not open to the public for surfing, and may never be—although if you’re a Slater buddy, like Eddie Vedder or Tony Hawk, or a philanthropic organization, or an LA-based venture capitalist or tech executive with deep pockets, you can arrange an outing there.
TechCrunch on a tech accelerator run by the NFL Player’s Association
The accelerator is called One Team Collective, and is run by an executive board made up of leaders from the tech industry as well as a player advisory board with nine current and former NFL players.
Courtesy of Frank Scavo, I saw this at SportTechie
Golf Scope’s higher-tech solution is an iOS app that uses your phone’s camera to read the exact topography of a green. First you scan your phone around until the app finds your ball, then you walk to the hole, keeping the camera pointed at the ground you’re passing over. Once Golf Scope has that data, it generates a trajectory for the optimum putt, and overlays that on your phone’s view of the real green along with tips on where to aim and how hard to hit the ball. Forget Pokémon Go, think Pokémon Golf.
But despite the power that technology like Golf Scope seems to offer to lower scores, there is a snag to adoption in the pro game. Any types of artificial device or unusual equipment that measures anything on a course and might affect play is prohibited.
For Mike Mountain, just going to every stadium wasn’t enough. He wanted to do it in the minimum amount of time possible. So he built an app that helped him figure out the shortest route that would take him to all 30 ballparks and back to where he started. Utilizing Major League Baseball’s master schedule, the Google Maps API, and a free online supercomputer, he came up with the answer: 35 days, 30 stadiums.
This Saturday, Mountain, a software engineering lead, will go see the Mets take on the Yankees in the Bronx. And over the next 34 days, he’ll drive 16,000 miles before arriving at Baltimore’s Camden Yards for another Yankees game. During the trip he’s scheduled to see the Milwaukee Brewers the most times–five. He’ll see the Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, and Baltimore Orioles four times. And he’ll see 13 teams just the one time at their own ballparks.
For 20 years, the Tampa Bay Rays have played in an indoor stadium in St. Petersburg. While comfortable at a constant 72 degrees even in our summer heat and humidity, its location has only attracted an average of 15,000 fans the last few years, not even half the capacity of the domed stadium. Visiting players grumble about the ground rules at the stadium forced by the catwalks and suspended lighting.
The Rays announced today plans for a new stadium in Ybor City, close to downtown Tampa. The new facility would have a total capacity of 30,842 -- which would make it the smallest ballpark in the major leagues (more details below). While the roof would not be retractable (it will be fixed and translucent and still be the most expensive part of the new structure), the park would have sliding glass side walls to allow for an open feel.
Funding the nearly $ 900 million stadium and nearby infrastructure will be challenge and details of the design will likely change in the 5 years before it will open, but the artist rendering looks pretty impressive.
I look forward to learning and sharing more on the design and the technology that it will bring to MLB world.
Video Assistant Referees, better known as VAR, is making its FIFA World Cup debut this summer. It's a team of assistant officials removed from the on-field action, operating from a centralized video room in Moscow to help the head official on difficult calls. VAR is going to bring some changes to World Cup play, but only in an advisory capacity. At the end of the day, the head official will be the one making the decisions from the field. They're there to avoid game-altering mistakes, not micromanage the match.
The technology at this year’s competition will again be provided by GoalControl. The Germany company uses 14 high-speed cameras—seven focused on each goal—to track the movement of the ball, render it in 3D, and determine whether it crossed the goal line. Within one second, GoalControl’s system will process its decision and send it to the on-field referee, who wears a special smartwatch that alerts him whether to award a goal or not.
The Telstar 18, the design for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, is as close to a perfect sphere as you can get. It has subtle pimples and six thermally bonded panels designed to avoid knuckling, which is the characteristic bobbing and weaving movement when a ball is kicked without spin. All 32 teams have been able to play with it since November in preparation for the tournament, which runs from June 14 to July 15. But despite its similarities to the old ball, players have grumbled about the Telstar 18. Compared to the last few World Cup balls, the Telstar 18 is very similar to the ball used for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. It won’t fly quite as far down the pitch, and will wobble in the air a little differently, but aerodynamic testing suggests it will be more stable in the air overall.
Electronic Performance and Tracking Systems (EPTS), a tablet-based system that will give coaches for all 32 teams access to player statistics and video footage in real time.
Each team will be supplied with three tablets – one for an analyst in the stand, one for an analyst on the bench and another for the medical team. Match footage will be subject to a 30-second delay, alongside stats such as player positioning data, passing, pressing, speed and tackles.
EPTS works with camera-based systems and wearable technology, which was approved by FIFA back in 2015. For the World Cup, data will be collected via two optical tracking cameras located on the main stand, while teams will also have access to selected tactical cameras.
In an effort to remain at the forefront of the industry, all sixty-four matches will be produced in Ultra High Definition with High Dynamic Range for the first time ever. Thanks to a hybrid UHD/HDR/1080p setup multiple choice of video formats will be available (1080i, 1080p or UHD HDR) at the back of one single production chain.
The use of progressive scanning as a baseline production format and HDR will guarantee improved image quality for all Media Rights Licensees, regardless of their delivery format.
Thirty-seven cameras, of which eight with UHD/HDR and 1080p/SDR dual output, and another eight with 1080p/HDR and 1080p/SDR dual output, will cover every match. Further eight Super-slow-motion and two Ultra-motion cameras, a cable-cam and a cineflex heli-cam, will ensure high-class pictures will be available from every angle in each stadium.
Video assistant referees are about to get their biggest test to date. In the wake of an earlier general approval, the FIFA Council has authorized the use of VARs at the upcoming 2018 World Cup in Russia. The tool will help refs make decisions on difficult calls involving goals and penalties, any offenses leading up to those moments, mistaken identities and red cards. In theory, at least, this reduces the chances of a country going home early due to a bad call -- a distinct possibility given the messes from the last World Cup.
This season, Pittsburgh-based Diamond Kinetics is introducing their latest innovation: PitchTracker, a baseball with embedded electronics to go beyond what the eyes of even the best pitching coaches can see.
In each PitchTracker ball, there’s a tiny chip with a sensor and battery system that provides comprehensive data about what the ball is doing during the pitcher’s motion and on its way to home plate. Used during practice along with a companion app, PitchTracker provides data for use in optimizing performance.
Playing football is dangerous. Watching virtual reality is ... not.
That’s why STRIVR Labs exists. The Silicon Valley-based VR startup is working with NFL and college football teams to train their athletes virtually, using a headset to help athletes experience game scenarios the same way they do on the field without physically jeopardizing their bodies.
“We’ve seen guys that couldn’t practice because of injury come into VR and put the headset on and actually go through [their] footwork at 10 percent speed,” explained STRIVR CEO and former Stanford kicker, Derek Belch. “[They] really get that one-tenth of the physical rep, but 100 percent of the mental rep. That mental edge is oftentimes what separates the pros from the Joes.”
Recent Comments