Today, technology is part of our everyday lives, whether you are at work, out and about, or relaxing at home. Broadband speeds get ever faster, televisions are more advanced than ever, and everything is bright, from your phone to the lightbulbs, central heating, and doorbells. There is seemingly no limit to its many applications and benefits.
One sector that has long embraced technology is sports. It remains at the forefront of the latest technological advances, pioneering new and impressive uses for the latest hi-tech inventions. At its best, technology can play a massive role in developing and enjoying sports, both for the participants and the paying spectators.
Professional sport is all about winning; the difference between first and second can be millimeters or milliseconds. Today, AI is used on smartphones and laptops daily, but many unique benefits are felt in sports. AI is transforming the sports world from crunching the numbers to working out the latest NFL MVP odds to player welfare and audience enjoyment.
Data is king in athletics, the NFL, soccer, motor racing, and more. Athletes and equipment are fitted with sensors to garner as much information as possible, while TV captures information on opposing teams’ plays and patterns. However, all that information must be analyzed to provide answers and gain a competitive edge. That’s where AI comes in.
AI can quickly analyze vast amounts of data, spot patterns and outliers, and make real-time predictions that enhance training, fitness, decision-making, and more. In particular, AI can provide coaches with far-reaching insights into an athlete’s performance levels.
That could be a variety of factors, such as speed, stride length, and endurance, allowing coaches to tailor training regimes and focus on specific areas for improvement. These highly personalized training plans ensure an athlete can maximize their potential.
AI is also a vital tool in injury prevention for athletes. With AI-powered real-time analysis, coaches can identify potential injury risks. In team sports such as soccer, ice hockey, and the NFL, analyzing athletes’ post-match and training data allows coaches to modify workouts and avoid potential injuries that could rule the player out of important games.
The NFL has embraced the use of technology in the game, and nowhere is its presence felt more than in strategy. AI systems can provide strategy recommendations through the analysis of game footage and player performance metrics.
While a Head Coach may have years of experience and the ultimate say, AI can quickly and efficiently identify patterns and trends that may not be obvious to the human eye—even the Chiefs’ Super Bowl-winning coach, Andy Reid. It can then recommend alternate strategies for beating the opponent.
Virtual Reality is an exciting new technology that can put athletes in an artificial, real 3D environment, giving them an immersive, real-time 3D experience and giving coaches and trainers a whole new coaching tool.
The technology can measure individual athletes’ performance and analyze their technique. It can be used as a training aid for multiple sports, such as golf, athletics, motor racing, the NFL, skiing, and cycling.
VR is particularly beneficial in team contact sports like rugby and American Football. It allows players to practice in highly immersive real-world game scenarios and fine-tune their technique, decision-making skills, and ability under pressure.
This ability to train alone in a safe space also removes the risk of injuries such as concussions and other ailments that could rule players out of games and cost teams vital victories.
Nowhere is innovation more prevalent than in Formula One, where state-of-the-art technology is used to create the fastest car. When margins are so small, every tool available is maximized to gain a fraction of a second advantage. The technology and data are endless for wind tunnels, data analysis, car sensors, reliable radio communication, on-car cameras, body sensors for drivers, and tire sensors.
With teams seeking to cut costs and track time limited by regulations, they invest in the latest state-of-the-art racing simulators. They are used to simulate the race conditions drivers experience at any circuit on the race calendar perfectly and give an incredibly realistic experience of high-speed racing.
Structured like the cockpit of a Formula One car, the simulator allows drivers to maximize authenticity by wearing their full race suit and helmet. Multiple instruments and technology onboard allow teams to change the weather, tyre wear, downforce, visibility, and more.
As innovations filter through, sports will continue to adapt and innovate. Athletes will improve, cars will go faster, records will be broken, and spectators will experience it all in a more thrilling and immersive way than ever before.
