A Smarter Tennis Racket? Sony’s Smart Tennis Sensor Tracks Performance

Want a beautiful tennis swing like that of Milos Raonic? Or be able to hit with the power of Serena Williams?

Well, it would take a boatload of talent and hours and hours of training for most of us to even hold our own on the court with one of those pros (sorry, technology can’t do everything!), but there is a new device might help us understand how our technique could be improved so we could become a better competitor (you know, with our friends and family). Unfortunately though, this new technology isn’t directly available for recreational use yet, but with it’s anticipated $175 price tag the new smart tennis technology might be a attainable even for the the less-than-dedicated.

This past January at CES 2014, Sony debuted their working prototype of the Smart Tennis Sensor that turns your tennis racket into a data-collecting, performance tracking device. When you attach the sensor to the bottom of your racket, it tracks your tennis technique and provides a recap of your performance directly your synced app using Bluetooth technology.

The Smart Tennis Sensor weights a mere eight grams and is 17.6 mm tall and 31.3 mm in diameter. The small device is built to be tiny and lightweight so it doesn’t affect the quality of your swing or feel any differently than a regular racket.

This is how it works…

Using vibration and motion sensors the racket will:

• Track the speed of the ball


• Track and reveal the type of swing


• Record the spin you applied to the ball when swinging


• Provide a full breakdown of the performance of your swing

This type of data and information could absolutely be an advantage for pros looking to make small tweaks to their game to bring them to the next level, and for non-pros wanting to know more about their performance and how to play better.

As revolutionary as this may sound, it is just one more example of how technology has recently impacted the game.

In short, tennis has used technology for everything from partnering with Hawk-eye technology to track ball movement to partnering with SAP to provide post-game analysis via applications for coaches and players to evaluate game performance.

In August of 2013, the WTA announced a partnership with SAP to enhance and grow the sport, focusing on on-court player performance in the first phase, with future plans to broaden to fans and media. SAP plans to provide information and cutting-edge analytics to players and coaches post-match.

This year, as the SONY Open Tennis approaches, there is sure to be more talk about tennis and technology.

via Business 2 Community http://ift.tt/1jJvkMA