The Rio Olympics are on in full swing right now, with more than 10,000 athletes participating in one of the world’s largest gaming events. What’s different this time around is that in the past 4 years, numerous technology startups have entered the sporting arena. Technology is now being used by many professional athletes, teams for training and performance enhancements. Popular startup analysis platform, Tracxn, has shared a list of sports tech startups that are in the business of training pro athletes. We took our pick of some of the most interesting sports tech startups from the list. Have a look.
WHOOP
Whoop is a Boston based startup, founded in 2012. The startup boasts of a performance optimisation system, in the form of a wearable wristband, named the Whoop Strap 2.0. The Whoop Strap 2.0 features 5 key measurements namely – Heart Rate, Heart Rate Variability (HRV), Ambient Temperature, Motion via 3-Axis Accelerometer, and On/Off Wrist Detection via Capacitive Touch Sensor. It can also auto-detect quality of sleep, has an on-wrist charging system, is water resistant, and provides on-strap data storage for 3 days.
Who uses Whoop? Michael Phelps, Lebron James, Tyson Ross, Adeline Gray, Chris Coghlan
ZEPP
Zepp is another sports-tech startup that powers professional sports training with its smart sensor and smart coach systems. Born in San Jose, Zepp has been training pros since 2011. Their sensor are used by Baseball, Golf, Tennis and SoftBall players. The Zepp sensor attaches to the back of a bat/club/racket, measuring bat speed, time to impact, attack angle, and more. The corresponding app then provides real-time analysis, along with a smart coach connect.
Who uses Zepp? Milos Raonic, Mike Trout, Michelle Wie, Jennie Finch
GAME GOLF
As the name suggests, Game Golf is a San Francisco based sports-tech startup, dedicated to the game of Golf. The startup manufactures sensors that attach to the back of a Golf club, recording every shot played in real-time. It also collects statistics from tee to green, providing helpful tips, insights along the way. Players also get some bragging rights as the accompanying app allows them to share, compare their performance data with others.
Who uses Game Golf? Graeme Mcdowell, Lee Westwood, Jim Furyk, Maria Verchenova
SEE ALSO: The little gadgets worth noting at Rio Olympics 2016
RECON INSTRUMENTS
Recon is the startup behind smart eyewear and heads-up displays used by athletes. A Vancouver based company, now acquired by Intel, Recon makes three smart glasses namely – Recon Jet, Recon Snow2, and Recon Engage. The Recon Jet heads-up displays shows real-time pace, distance and duration details at the flicker of an eye. It has a suite of sensors including a gyroscope, barometer, accelerometer, altimeter and magnetometer. In addition, it houses Bluetooth & Wi-Fi connectivity, which gives users the ability to see all their smartphone notifications inside their eyewear. Jet’s display doubles up as a viewfinder, and the attached camera allows users to click pictures and record videos, with a a double-tap on the headset.
Who uses Recon? Joe Skipper, Tim Don,
WOO SPORTS
Woo is a Boston startup dedicated to producing performance tracking tech for… wait for it… Kiteboarding! Yes, their nifty little device called the Woo can be clipped onto the back of a Kiteboard and can track every jump including, jump height, airtime, and more. It features a 9-axis motion sensor, is water, corrosion & shock resistant, and can connect to the user’s smartphone through Bluetooth. The Woo app also allows Kiteboarders to connect with each other, through the in-built community tracking feature.
CATAPULT SPORTS
By now, you would have definitely heard of Catapult, a holistic sports tracking and analytics startup, with a huge portfolio of wearable and sensory devices. In addition to providing monitoring systems for indoor, outdoor and open field sports, Catapult also makes wearables that track player performance in sports like Football, Basketball, Rugby, Rowing, and more. The startup has been in action since 2006, and is based out of Melbourne, Australia.
Who uses Catapult: Real Madrid, Bayern Munchen, NBA, U.S. Olympics rowing Team
STRIVRLABS
Virtual Reality may not have found a place in the consumer’s heart till now, but it has found its niche in many different fields of application, including sports. Strivrlabs is a Palo alto based startup that helps train athletes using VR headsets. The startup films practice sessions in 360-degree, immersive video, then allowing players to ‘re-live’ that practice film from inside a virtual reality headset. This gives players a holistic view of the game play, allowing them to identify weak areas and improve their performance.
Who uses Strivrlabs: Dallas cowboys, Jets, NFL, New York Rangers
Are you an athlete looking to get your hands on some cool tech for upping your game? Let us know what you thought of these innovative sports-tech startups in our comments section below.