The patent

This is according to filing US 20220046089 A1. It was submitted to the US Patent and Trademark Office on February 10th, 2022 (via). The patent suggests the system could be used to enable parents stay on top of the action from the comfort of their home.

Essential reading: Best fitness trackers and health gadgets

The idea here is to create something that would pull data from a network of connected devices. The information would be analyzed and collated by an online portal that would be accessible to a wide network of fans through the cloud. Sources of info would include notes of events during the game from spectators and coaches (via smartphones, laptops, smartwatches, etc), along with more high-tech means such as cameras built into spectator’s smart glasses recording the moment a goal was scored.

The online server would keep tabs on the action. It would put together team and player statistics, along with play-by-play real-time coverage. For example, for a hockey game this could include things such as faceoffs, shots, goals, penalties, time change, period change, a stoppage of play and much more. This info could also be used to automatically update the scoreboard at the game.

If the portal receives conflicting information from differing sources, it could send a request to clarify the discrepancy through a system of upvotes. The information would be corrected based on the majority response.

Potentially, this could also be used to send videos and photos through the communication system. Considering that most youth sports are not televised, it would create the next best thing.

The potential revenue source is big

Youth sports is a big market. This includes everything, from organized sports leagues to amateur activities. According to statistics, the youth sports industry in the US was valued at over 19 billion dollars in 2019. That’s bigger than the size of the $15bn NFL! Projections are that the value of the US sports market in the US will top $70bn in the next four years.

All of this means there’s lots of potential here for a wearable tech company in a time when many brands are looking for alternative sources of income. Now that it has the backing of Google, Fitbit can set its sights beyond wearable tech.

Whether the company is just looking to create a system to collate data or is planning to supplement this with a network of its own connected devices remains to be seen. Of course, this is just a patent so it is not definite it will make it into the real world. Lots of products remain in the patent stage never seeing the light of day. Regardless, it is interesting that Fitbit is looking in this direction as it is quite different from the market it has been involved in so far.

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America’s favourite past-time, baseball, is no different. Major League Baseball (MLB) has a reputation for being resistant to change but the organisation began allowing players to use devices such as Motus Baseball Sleeve, Zephyr Bioharness monitor and Whoop Strap. Some of these devices aim to assist with injury prevention, while others give coaches and trainers an overall look at players performance.

Amateurs can get in on this, too. Even though baseball has been a bit late to the party as compared to say running, tennis or swimming, there is a healthy selection of gadgets that aim to take your performance up a notch.

Jump to

Zepp Bluetooth 3D Baseball | Diamond Kinetics’ SwingTracker | Blast Baseball 360 Swing Analyzer | Garmin Impact Bat Sensor | Markwort Speed Sensor 9″ Baseball

Zepp Bluetooth 3D Baseball Swing Analyser

Simply take a few swings and the 3-axis accelerometer and gyroscope in Zepp’s second generation tracker will instantly evaluate areas where you need to improve.

The device attaches to the end of your bat and monitors: bat speed at impact, hand speed max, time to impact, attack angle and vertical angle at impact. Each swing can be tagged with the hit type and location then stored for later reference. The built-in flash storage has enough memory for up to 2,000 swings.

Like some of the other devices on this list, you can access video and 3D swing analysis. The accompanying smartphone app also provides personalized video training programs from MLB Players and coaches.

Zepp Technology has developed a Smart Bat, too. This custom-made model has a cavity in the knob that allows the tracking device to fit inside.

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Motus Global Throw

One of a select few devices approved for in-game use by MLB, the quarter-sized sensor Motus Global Throw tracks both throwing and batting metrics. This enables players to monitor workload to prevent injury and improve their game.

You can keep tabs on workload / UCL Stress, discover Hot / Cold Hitting Zones and access interactive data trends. There is also an interactive Bullpen Mode which analyzes consistency and deception while identifying flaws across pitch types. Detailed metrics, video and interactive tools allow players and coaches the ability to customize programs and train smarter than ever.

There are two apps to choose between, Motus Throw and Motus Batting. For throwing, Motus attaches to the specially built lightweight compression sleeve. If you want to track your batting skills, the motus Clip Accesory allows you to affix your motus Sensor to just about any batting glove, quickly and securely.

Amazon*

Diamond Kinetics’ SwingTracker

This gizmo attaches to the butt of pretty much any bat. From there, it captures some 10,000 data points per second about the swing and sends that data instantly to the accompanying SwingTracker mobile app.

The wealth of statistics is impressive. It includes : Speed (Max Hand Speed, Max Barrel Speed, Speed Efficiency, Forward Barrel Speed); Control (Distance in the Zone, Hand Cast Distance, Approach Angle); Quickness (Trigger to Impact Time), Power (Applied Power, Max Acceleration, Impact Momentum). You can compare your performance to other players from Youth all the way through to Professional leagues, too.

And lets not forget the video capture mode. You can even compare 3D models of two swings on top of each other or side-by-side, and access training content and 3D drills to improve your performance.

Amazon*

Blast Baseball 360 Swing Analyzer

The Blast baseball sensor is a highly rated and very popular motion capture device. Simply attach it to the end of your bat and start swinging. The sensor and accompanying app capture video highlights, help you analyze your mechanics, and provide drills for improvement.

Blast Baseball uses a combination of accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers to dish out insightful metrics. This includes swing speed, time to contact, swing direction and power. There is also something called the “Blast Factor”, derived by combining swing efficiency and power made up of timing, rotation, and velocity metrics.

The Smart Video Capture with metric overlay and slow-mo video allow you or your coach to visually identify areas to improve upon in order to become a stronger, more efficient, and overall a better hitter.

Amazon*

Garmin Impact Bat Sensor

Garmin is getting in on the fun as well. It also has a sensor that attaches to the butt of your bat via a flexible rubber mount to provide you with a plethora of stats. This includes bat speed, hand speed, time to impact, elevation angle and attack angle. Simply set up a profile, connect your device, and you are ready to swing.

The main novelty for this type of a device is the sunlight-visible, 128 x 128 pixel, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) screen. Measuring 18.5 x 18.5 mm it displays all these stats in real-time.

To further enhance your swing, use the accompanying smartphone app. It provides additional analysis, along with 3D swing paths. After every three swings you also get tips and drills from professionals. You can even use the app to analyze videos captured of your swings.

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Amazon*

Markwort Speed Sensor 9″ Baseball

One of a number of speed tracking balls on the market, this is an official size and weight of a regulation baseball that can be used as a training aid.

To use, press start, hurl the ball and the built-in LCD indicator will display your pitch speed upon impact. However, don’t mistake this for a ball you can play with. Its meant for pitching throwing practice only, not to be hit with a bat!

Amazon*

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Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets

The wearable is designed to provide coaches with a means to access to their team’s real-time performance analytics. It comes in the form of a sensor that attaches around a players chest similar to a heart rate strap. The data can be collected from different locations, such a gym rehab and on-field practice. 

The gizmo integrates Suunto Movesense sensors alongside Firstbeat’s Heart Rate Variability monitoring software. The wearable has on-board memory and an embedded processor removing the need for a receiver or laptop during sessions. Coaches and performance staff are able to access information from multiple players in real-time or post session via an iPad app. 

This includes key load and intensity data including real-time TRIMP/min for the first time. TRIMP stands for Training Impulse, a single digit calculation that takes into account the intensity and duration of exercise as a way to quantify stress placed on an athlete.

“At Firstbeat, we work with over 1,000 elite teams and pride ourselves on providing physiological insights that give coaches, sports scientists and players the confidence to make the right decisions in pursuit of optimized performance and recovery,” said Veli-Pekka Kurunmäki, Firstbeat Director of Sports Performance Products.

“This new solution makes accessing these insights easier than ever before, whether on the move during practice or during post analysis.”

Pre-orders for the Firstbeat Sports Sensor and Live app are open now. For more info head over to firstbeat.com.

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Essential reading: Connected tech to up your baseball skills

The sports of baseball and softball are very similar but there are a few differences. These are to do with the pitching area, distance from the pitcher’s area to the home plate, base paths, field size, size of balls and bats.

One of the things they have in common is that they are both a bit late to the party when it comes to sensor technology. Especially compared to say running, tennis or swimming. But a selection of gadgets is now emerging that aims to take your batting skills up a notch.

One of these is the Blast Softball Swing Analyzer. The highly rated and very popular motion capture device attaches to the end of your bat. From there, the sensor and accompanying app capture video highlights, help you analyze your mechanics, and provide drills for improvement.

As part of a new partnership, USA Softball Women’s National Team (WNT) will train for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games using Blast sensor technology. The data captured will allow players and coaches to compare hitting trends and analyze and improve timing, attack angle and bat speed.

“As our program begins to find ways to measure athletes’ levels of success and athleticism, it’s important for us to have benchmarks that young softball players can aspire to reach,” said USA WNT Head Coach, Ken Eriksen.

“The best players in the world can do things no others can. This technology can help make some of those intangibles more distinguishable.”

The collaboration will also bring sensor use to over 120,000 teams at USA softball-sanctioned events. This will allow youth players to start leveraging the technology at an early age to better develop their hitting skills and in-game performance.

“As the game of softball continues to evolve, more and more athletes and coaches are looking for tools to help them further develop their skills,” said USA Softball Chief Executive Officer, Craig Cress.

“As the National Governing Body of Softball, USA Softball is always looking for ways to help grow the game at the grassroots level, which in turn develops those athletes who are in the pipeline for the National Team Program”

Amateurs can get in on this, too. Check out our overview of connected tech to up your batting skills.

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Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets

Touted as the first affordable speed and video training system, Smart Coach Radar can be used for a number of sports including baseball, softball, volleyball, lacrosse and tennis. The product builds on the California based startup’s popular Ball Coach Radar. The accuracy and range (120 feet for baseball) is the same, but the next generation product comes with a plethora of extras.

The most important of the lot is compatibility with the Pocket Radar app. This provides video recording abilities with an embedded speed display. Users will get instant feedback on a variety of stats.

For example for baseball, the gizmo will spit out metrics such as hitting exit velocity, serve speed, pitch speed and more. The app tracks results over time so players can monitor their progress. There is also a video sharing function and social media integration feature.

“With the new Smart Coach Radar, coaches and athletes of all ages are able to capture accurate speeds integrated with video of their mechanics, or get immediate feedback of their speeds delivered wirelessly to their smartphones,” said Pocket Radar CEO and cofounder Steve Goody.

“Now, any youth athlete can use the same technology in their backyard that professional players and teams use on the field every day.”

Smart Coach Radar weighs only 4.5 ounces and that’s with batteries inside, so is incredibly portable. The gizmo can be used as a standalone radar gun, or in conjunction with the new smartphone app. It has a speed range of up to 130 miles per hour and its accuracy has been certified by the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

A great alternative to bulky speed guns, the gizmo retails for $399.99. You can pick it up at pocketradar.com.

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Founded by athletes, Zepp is a California-based startup. Its wearables use technology such as 3D visuals and interactive training tools to help athletes take their training to the next level. The company’s products are available across multiple sports including baseball, softball, tennis, soccer and golf.

Essential reading: Connected tech to up your baseball skills

Blast Motion, which produces similar products, sued Zepp some two years ago for patent infringement. The court decision and subsequent settlement allow both companies to keep selling their products, apart from one. From June 17th this year, Zepp is banned from selling baseball and softball sensor products in America. The rest of the agreement is confidential.

Blast Motion has another patent infringement litigation pending against Diamond Kinetics. These three companies are the leaders when it comes to consumer wearable tech for baseball and softball. The only other significant player is Garmin, which recently introduced its Impact Bat Sensor.

Zepp says that it will continue to support its baseball and softball apps. If you live in the US and want to purchase the company’s products for these sports, you still have another six months in which to do so.

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America’s favourite past-time, baseball, is a bit behind the curve when it comes to connected tech. Its only recently that we’ve seen a few devices that aim to take your performance up a notch. The latest addition to this select group is Garmin’s Impact Bat Sensor.

Essential reading: Connected tech to up your baseball skills

Simply set up a profile, connect your device, and you are ready to swing. The sensor attaches to the butt of your bat via a flexible rubber mount to provide you with a plethora of stats. This includes bat speed, hand speed, time to impact, elevation angle and attack angle.

The main novelty for such a device is the sunlight-visible, 128 x 128 pixel, transflective memory-in-pixel (MIP) screen. Measuring 18.5 x 18.5 mm it displays all these stats in real-time.

To further enhance your swing, use the accompanying smartphone app. It provides additional analysis, along with 3D swing paths. After every three swings you also get tips and drills from professionals. You can even use the app to analyze videos captured of your swings.

“Garmin has seen great success with our other sports products, like the golf swing sensor, so the addition of the Impact bat swing sensor to the performance training market seemed like a natural fit,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of worldwide sales. “

“Whether playing baseball or softball, or coaching players, the on-device display and auditory cues on the Impact bat swing sensor allow batters to quickly make adjustments so come game time they can step up to the plate with confidence.”

Weighing just 34 grams, you will hardly notice the sensor is attached to your bat. The settings allow you to customize for use with multiple players and different bats. Featuring up to 10 hours of battery life and an IPX7 water-resistance rating, the Impact Bat Sensor is going for $149.99 on garmin.com.

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Officials at the MLB have definitely shown willingness to stamp out any use of wearable technology during games. They spotted Ariel Prieto wearing the smartwatch during an October 4th game against the Colorado Rockies. As shown above, there are even pictures to prove it.

The Diamondbacks say that their coach simply made a mistake. A further investigation confirmed this and cleared Prieto of any cheating.

“MLB forensically examined Mr. Prieto’s Apple Watch and his cell phone and interviewed Mr. Prieto,” said the organisation in a statement.

“MLB found no evidence that Mr. Prieto used the Apple Watch or cell phone for any purpose in the dugout, nor any baseball-related communication on either device, during Wednesday’s game.”

The coach was, however, fined an undisclosed amount for breaking league rules as the mere presence of the smartwatch is enough. The Arizona Diamondbacks team is facing a fine, too. League officials said the funds will be donated to Hurricane Maria relief in Puerto Rico.

“Despite these findings, Mr. Prieto violated MLB’s on-field regulation by having this device in the dugout,” continued the statement.

“As a result, Mr. Prieto and the D-backs have each been fined an undisclosed amount. The amount of the fines will in turn be donated by the Office of the Commissioner to hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico.”

The penalties come about a month after the Boston Red Sox were slapped with a fine for using a Fitbit to gain unfair advantage during play. The team’s video personnel had apparently passed the Yankees’ signs to the Red Sox dugout which was then transmitted on to the players.

MLB has a reputation for being resistant to change but the organisation began allowing players to use the Motus Baseball Sleeve and Zephyr Bioharness monitor for the 2016 season. Players are prohibited from wearing any electronic communication devices on the field during games, though.

Essential reading: Connected tech to up your baseball skills

This year, league officials have added one more wearable to the approved list – the Whoop Strap. Some of these devices aim to assist with injury prevention, while others give coaches and trainers an overall look at players performance.

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The original complaint was received by the Yankees who noticed the Red Sox team looking at their wrist trackers and passing information to players on the pitch. Confronted with the evidence, some on Boston’s MLB team have admitted to investigators that this was indeed the case. The video personnel had apparently passed the Yankees’ signs to the Red Sox dugout which was then transmitted on to the players.

“…trainers had received signals from video replay personnel and then relayed that information to Red Sox players — an operation that had been in place for at least several weeks,” wrote the New York Times.

The device the Boston Red Sox used in the sign-stealing saga has now been revealed as a Fitbit activity tracker, a major-league source told the Boston Globe. Fitbit is the manufacturer of some of the most popular activity trackers on the market. In addition to counting steps and calories, some of their devices – such as the Surge – can send and receive text messages from mobile devices.

Essential reading: Connected tech to up your baseball skills

MLB has dished out an undisclosed fine on the Red Sox while the Yankees have been fined a lesser amount. Not to be outdone, this was to do with a separate claim by the Red Sox that the Yankees have used a YES Network camera to spy on Boston personnel in the home dugout. The fines were announced on Friday by baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred. They will be donated to the hurricane Irma relief effort in Florida.

“In assessing the significance of this violation, the investigation established three relevant points,” Manfred said in a statement.

“First, the violation in question occurred without the knowledge of ownership or front office personnel. Second, when the Red Sox learned of the Yankees’ complaint, they immediately halted the conduct in question and then cooperated completely in my investigation.  I have received absolute assurances from the Red Sox that there will be no future violations of this type. Third, our investigation revealed that Clubs have employed various strategies to decode signs that do not violate our rules.  The Red Sox’ strategy violated our rules because of the use of an electronic device.”

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The investigation began two weeks ago after the Yankees filed an official complaint with the Commissioner’s office. They even submitted video evidence showing members of the Red Sox team looking at their watches and passing information to players on the pitch. Confronted with the evidence, some on Boston’s MLB team have admitted to investigators that this was indeed the case.

“…trainers had received signals from video replay personnel and then relayed that information to Red Sox players — an operation that had been in place for at least several weeks,” writes the New York Times.

Major League Baseball (MLB) has a reputation for being resistant to change but the organisation began allowing players to use the Motus Baseball Sleeve and Zephyr Bioharness monitor for the 2016 season. This year, league officials have added one more wearable to the approved list – the Whoop Strap. Some of these devices aim to assist with injury prevention, while others give coaches and trainers an overall look at players performance.

Essential reading: Connected tech to up your baseball skills

Spying on another team is not against major league rules and teams routinely use video to help them discern opponents’ signs, but such information has to be rushed to the dugout on foot. As the report points out,  there are rules in place to prohibit the use of electronic gadgets in the dugout to gain an unfair advantage.

It is not clear what penalties the Commissioner Rob Manfred will bring against the Red Sox, but a decision is expected before the season is over.

“We will conduct a thorough investigation on both sides,” Mr. Manfred said to reporters at Fenway Park, where he was present for a routine visit.

“We’re 100 percent comfortable that it is not an ongoing issue.”

An MLB spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Source: The New York Times

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