The first ‘wearable’ technology innovation is argued to have arrived sometime around the 13th century with the development of the first eyeglasses.
In between that time and now we’ve had hearing aids, digital watches, Fitbits, Google Glass and (only if you’re feeling nostalgic) perhaps we might add the Sony Walkman somewhere into that list.
Fast forward to 2020 and software application developers today are focused on creating apps for smartphones with accelerometers, gyroscopes and somewhere around 20+ other onboard sensors (more, in some cases)… and the whole effort to create wearable technology has led to the development of an IT sub-sector in and of itself that we call SportsTech.
As already detailed here on the Computer Weekly Developer Network, OurCrowd is a global venture investing platform for institutions and individuals (it vets and selects companies) to invest and engage in emerging companies.
Never knowingly able to miss a good pun when made available, OurCrowd CEO Jon Medved has said that, “Israel punches above its weight when it comes to sports technology, with over 200 companies in the field.”
Medved claims that SportsTech is a multibillion-dollar market and suggests that it is expected to triple in size in the next few years.
Indeed, major tech analyst houses agree that areas like ‘assisted health’ and AI-augmented personal wellness applications will be key to the way that both the health and SportsTech market grows in the immediate future.
OurCrowd Summit speakers including NBA basketball player Michael Redd and Michael Sutherland, chief transformation officer at Real Madrid used this event this week to discuss tech-driven participation and gamification in sports.
A selection of companies emerging in this space if offered below:
SportsTech selection
Track 160 – A firm developing fully automatic football analytics, coaching and prediction service using deep learning technology.
Playsight – A company connecting athletes through immersive sports video and analytics technology.
Kemtai – An early-stage, Israeli startup using advanced computer vision to create a personalised home fitness experience, which offers users the ability to train with a virtual AI coach that can see them, as if a trainer were in the room.
Blink – A startup focused on enhancing social experiences for gamers and streamers by automatically detecting and saving key moments in a game to create engaging, shareable stories.
Yeah, it’s ‘blink or you’ll miss it’… we get it.
Israel has qualified for the FIFA World Cup just once (in 1970), so let’s hope the country’s SportsTech innovation off the pitch is matched with some on-pitch excellence in the future.
Image: Track 160
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