i3 - July/August 2017 - 11

By Susan Schreiner

Tech

C 4 T R E N DS

The Power of Sports and Tech

ports technology is enriching the global pro, amateur
and hobbyist sports experience from coaching, practicing,
playing and analyzing performance to betting, fan engagement, broadcasting and marketing. For athletes, sports tech includes
many innovative tools that enhance training and offer an edge in
competition. Gadgets, devices and wearables are being imbued with
technology and connectivity including cameras that track thousands
of movements, virtual reality and immersive media, GPS, accelerometers, sensors, gamification as well as data science and algorithms
that predict what a player might do in certain scenarios.
Arccos, a Stamford, CT-based startup,
demonstrated the power of sports tech
at Microsoft's annual Build conference
last May. The company, which creates
golf shot tracking technology, announced
a new smartphone app that connects to
sensors attached to a club grip to track
each shot and provide GPS yardage information. The Arccos Caddie is the "first
platform in sports that truly harnesses
the power of artificial intelligence (AI)
to help players make smarter decisions,"
according to Microsoft Sports Principal
Evangelist Mike Downey. "Through the
Microsoft Azure cloud platform, Arccos
Caddie instantly digests unique data
sets and delivers actionable advice to
any golfer - from beginners to pros -
seeking to make the PGA Tour."
And TuringSense, a Silicon Valley
pioneer in wearable sports technology, scored $3 million to
expand its innovative PIVOT
line of intelligent, AI-embedded
wearable products. It aims to
revolutionize training for all
kinds of human movement
activity, including fitness, virtual
reality gaming, sports, physical
therapy and rehabilitation.
The products use multi-sensor,
high-speed full-body motion
analysis to track a tennis or golf
swing, for example. This portable
device is wireless and provides
instant biomechanic feedback
for technique optimization,
C TA . t e c h / i 3

"Be the Player," 360-degree replay technology was used in the 2017 Super Bowl
to give football fans a unique field-ofvision perspective without needing
a physical camera attached to each player.

esports

Brands want to leverage their popularity with fans whether at home
or at the stadium. Companies also
want to keep live sports relevant for
younger generations that expect immediate gratification across any device.
improved performance and injury preMajor investments have been made
vention. Scalable cloud-based technology
by leading brands and broadcasters in
enables users to store and share data with
esports. Video game tournaments are
coaches, doctors and trainers in real-time
a $700 million global industry thanks
or via social media. PIVOT Tennis, its
to fans who watch online or at packed
first consumer product, is due in Q3 2017.
stadiums to cheer on their favorite
And in the next few years, the live
players competing in games.
sports industry will engage more deeply
Players include Activision Blizzard,
with over-the-top content, as well as
the maker of games like Call of Duty and
mobile and social media platforms for
StarCraft, whose publisher, Activision
premium content distribution.
Blizzard, acquired Major League Gaming
Intel acquired Tel Aviv-based Replay
in 2015. It operates MLG.tv, an online
Technologies in 2016 for its proprietary
broadcast network for professional
Free Dimensional Video "FreeD"
level competitive gaming; the MLG
360 Replay for immersive sports
Pro Circuit, the longest-running esports
technology. High-resolution cameras
league in North America; and
and computer-intensive graphGameBattles, the largest crossics let viewers experience high- Arccos Caddie
instantly delivers
platform online gaming tournalights of sporting events from
actionable advice to
ment system with nine million
any angle. For example, Intel's
any golfer - from
registered global users. Each
beginners to pros.
month, Major League Gaming
reaches millions of fans via web,
mobile, connected TVs and
gaming consoles. Riot Games,
maker of esports hit League
of Legends, and published by
Chinese internet giant Tencent,
fuels the League of Legends
Championship Series.
Tech is reshaping how pro
and amateur athletes train as
well as how fans participate,
including viewing esports.
CONTACT: Reach Susan at
susan@c4trends.com
JULY/AUGUST 2017

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/pivot-the-game-changing-wearable-for-tennis-technology https://www.arccosgolf.com/blogs/community/arccos-caddie-introducing-the-worlds-smartest-caddie http://video.majorleaguegaming.com/ http://replay-technologies.com/ http://replay-technologies.com/ https://www.turingsense.com/ https://www.riotgames.com/ http://www.cta.tech

i3 - July/August 2017

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