How many calls came into question during the recent World Cup competition in South Africa? In just about every competitive sport, referees must call who crossed the line first, or if the ball was inside or outside of a line. Many sports have addressed the issue. Tennis uses a Hawk-Eye technology that films and replays the ball play in question. Cycling uses cameras on the finish line and transponders on each bike. Football draws a digital line in the replay to measure the ball and distance it’s traveled. More technology is on the way.
With a list of benefits including improved blood circulation, increased muscle strength and flexibility, better range of motion, better core conditioning and stability, faster recovery enhanced metabolism, increased bone mineral density, reduction of the stress hormone cortisol, elevation of Human Growth Hormone and improved lymphatic flow, who isn’t in line to order a Power Plate exercise machine? You stand on it in a few poses while it vibrates and you’ll achieve all of the above. We’ve never seen an exercise machine that has all the answers before… Oh wait, we have seen this on early Saturday morning infomercials.
We’re not saying this or any Saturday morning infomercial exercise machine has no benefits, but they make big claims. This machine is reminiscent of those old vibration fitness machines from the 1940s. There is some diversity to this machine, it’s a little more than stand and vibrate. You practice poses, and later models come with resistance bands and floor mats. The Power Plate Pro5 AlRdaptive has multiple user settings so a whole household can use the machine calibrated to each user. It is something to look more deeply into before you spend money and take up space in your home. These are the type of machines that ultimately influence people to give up when they don’t work.
Helmets should be top of the list for new gear, as football season gets ready to kick off. Concussions are an ongoing problem, and many teams use reconditioned helmets rather than new ones, which exacerbates the problem. There’s no complete safeguard for preventing head injuries for players who choose to go out on the field, but every little bit helps. Xenith, a company founded by a Harvard grad who played as quarterback on the varsity team, has a new design to help cushion and protect the head. Continue reading Xenith X1: Building a Better Brain Bucket
Ki Fit armband device knows when you've been walking, it knows when you're awake.
My workout doesn’t feel complete if it’s without a heart rate monitor. It’s like driving without a seatbelt. But even my trusty heart rate monitor is somewhat lacking in the data it provides. The Ki Fit, available in the U.K., is a device worn on your arm, and tracks all kinds of movement and body chemistry to give you more information than how hard your heart is pounding during a sprint.
The Ki Fit system tracks calorie burn; physical activity; steps taken; sleep duration and sleep efficiency. Through a subscription to Ki Fit Online Activity Manager, you can analyze the data along with a food log and other reporting. Certain functions such as the physical activity and calorie count are measured by an internal accelerometer. Another sensor can detect your hydration and sweat levels.
The DeLorme PN60w GPS and its SPOT unit let you send messages from any location.
There’s nothing like a “Climbed a category 4, now on the summit” post to Twitter or Facebook. “Just got back to base camp after a category 4 climb to the summit” is a pale substitute. But when you’re out of cell range, those location posts are difficult if not impossible. Many serious hikes and climbs take you out of range. Not only are you unable to text your family, post messages to social networks for your friends, you can’t easily call for help if your hike should come to that.
The DeLorme PN-60w with SPOT Sattelite Communicator is a rugged GPS handheld with the ability to send outgoing messages to email, cell phones, Facebook, Twitter, Fire Eagle, SpotAdventures.com and Geocaching.com. Posts are geotagged and tracked by Google Maps. You might not be able to post a photo with your message, but you can give your precise location. The PN-60w, which runs about $549.95, also has GPX file support to better manage and save waypoint, geocache, and other files. The unit has an elevation profile tool that pinpoints user location; new poer management and display options extend battery life. The PN-60w has 3.5 GB of onboard memory to store maps and aerial imagery. Continue reading Tweet from the Mountain Tops with DeLorme GPS
When you pull off the perfect stunt, you want to keep that memory forever and subject your family and friends to repeat viewings. But not only is a video camera capable of filming in HD heavy, it won’t stand up to the abuse of the road, trail, water, freefall or other dirt you might get into. The ATC9K all-terrain video camera from Oregon Scientific has you covered from 12,500-plus feet above sea level to 56 feet below the surface.
The camera’s bright yellow and black casing is built to withstand the tumbles and rolls in the dirt that come with adventure. The camera is waterproof and shock-resistant, and has a mount to allow for strapping it to a helmet, handlebars, surfboard or snowboard. To minimize the shaky video footage you see on many sports videos, the ATC9K has a built-in G-sensor that measures the force of gravity during acceleration, deceleration and hang time. An additional plug-in will enable PC-users to map the location, or the trip, where video was taken and tag it using Google Maps or Google Earth. When you ride your next century you can film the whole hundred miles and chart it on Google Maps to prove your distance and bragging rights.
To introduce the $299 camera, Oregon Scientific is running a video-upload contest on Facebook for a chance to win a prize worth $750.
Plenty of iPhone apps that customize workouts for you, but how many track your progress based on movement. Fitaid from India-based developer Positech uses the phone’s accelerometer to sense your pace based on the goals you set. The program estimates your V02Max; tracks against plan and provides audio cues to speed up or slow down; and customizes those cues and settings to match your goals and abilities.
Fitaid’s developer Positech has goal to provide sophisticated scientific tools to a mainstream audience looking for ways to self-manage their health and improve wellbeing. The founder, Siva Raj, claims to have faced his own personal struggle with staying fit and used his experiences to develop Fitaid.
The use of the accelerometer to sense movement, which tracks any activity on a user’s feet including stepping to salsa or playing Frisbee, is a vital innovation and a good use of the technology of the iPhone. We hope to see more applications like this, and for a wider array of smartphones.
The Expresso Bike mounts a video screen on the handlebars, like dangling a carrot.
Sometimes weather dictates an indoor workout, even when you’re longing for the outdoors. A video screen mounted to the handlebars with scenery doesn’t replace the outdoor feel. Expresso Upright Bike makes claims to “fuse exertainment with Web-based personalization features in a commercial-quality system! Eye-catching and fully-integrated design.” The bike has over 30 Basic-to-Extreme rated interactive tours such as rides along the California coast and the Peruvian mountains.
If you look at this bike, about the only thing that’s advanced beyond other stationary bikes and spin bikes is that the handlebars move to simulate turns and steering around a course or those curvy coastline roads. It also changes the resistance with the terrain on the road or course you’re riding. The video screen provides the scenery, but we’re not certain if it speeds up or slows down to match your speed as you ride. The screen is too small to offer any kind of immersive experience the company claims to provide. Continue reading Expresso is no Spin Training
Got a problem with your bike? Need to true your wheels? Flat tire? Having a problem with the rear derailleur? There’s an app for that. Last summer I had problems with the shifter/brake levers and the rear derailleur on my still new road bike. Luckily it was still within the warrantee period at my local shop, however the problems were difficult to diagnose. The ability to look up bicycle maintenance on my phone would have been a big help.
Bike Repair, an iPhone app with the basics on keeping your bike running – all the way down to getting a proper fit from your helmet – may just save you a few trips to the bike shop. The app walks you through bike mechanics such as adjusting the height and angle of the front derailleur; cleaning and lubricating the chain; aligning the handlebars and adjusting the headset; and brake adjustments for cantilever, V-Brake and center mount brakes. If you find yourself on the side of the road, Bike Repair’s got you covered. Just be sure to take hand wipes. This app will get your fingers in the grease, and you’ll probably want to clean up before using your phone again.
U.S. Olympic skater Apolo Anton Ohno welcomes new sponsor BMW.
Years ago it was BMW Films. Short pideos of theater-quality storylines that highlighted the auto brand and were fun to watch. Now BMW is putting money behind the United States Olympic Committee.The six-year deal makes BMW the Official Mobility Partner of the United States Olympic Committee and of four National Governing Bodies: USA Bobsled & Skeleton, U.S. Speedskating, USA Swimming and USA Track & Field. This is multi-million dollar agreement isn’t just a monetary commitment. The sponsor will provide the USOC with fundraising opportunities and the four NGB groups will gain access to BMW Group technical expertise. BMW group will use its experts, deep technology base and facilities to help the Olympic and Paralympic Teams improve their training and performance. Teams will get to use the auto manufacturer’s facilities including the wind tunnel to test aerodynamics.
Walking on a bumpy, packed sand surface is supposed to be better than an even, paved surface for your feet and leg muscles. That’s what the company MBT came up with a few years ago and this season shoes with the but-busting concave soul have been released by many brands. Avia is one of those, but they created a double rocker, or the rocker concave soul with an air pocket under the arch. Three models include the ishape, iburn and iquest. The negative heel, double rocker and low density forefoot in each shoe model claims to make downtime activity productive by building muscles in the leg and quads – those muscles in the rear. This is done by making you work for every step by rolling your foot over the shoe’s soul.
Avia has a history of innovation since its beginning in 1079. Soleredemption.com has an interesting profile on the company’s progress.
Rubberized coating on these shoes make them spashproof.
Seamless is the new stitching. A new trail running shoe from Hi-Tec was on show at the OutDoor show last week, the Infinity V-Lite. Layers of technology make for a streamlined shoe. A seamless upper reduces weight and tendency to develop blisters. Hi-Tec worked with Vibram to provide an exclusive sole with two rubber compounds that provide traction and durability. A rubberized coating provides permanent water repellence. There’s plenty more features to give the shoe a comfortable fit and support while on the trails. And it looks cool too. We hope to get our hands on a pair when they become more widely available.
Olympic athlete Paulo Villar tapes his muscles to get through the hurdles.
Working through aches and pains has gone way beyond the ace bandage. Kinesio Tex Tape Gold, a black and brightly colored tape that almost looks like an abstract tattoo, is often seen on Olympic and pro sport athletes. Kinesio Tex Tape Gold is latex free elastic therapeutic tape developed by Dr. Kenzo Kase ofer 35 years ago in Japan. The tape is applied over muscle sprains, tendon pulls and other maladies that might sideline a runner or athlete.
We spotted the black, hot pink and turquoise blue tape on many riders during the Tour de France, which is set to conclude in Paris on Sunday. BMC rider Cadel Evans managed to stay in the race after breaking his elbow through the use of the Kinesio tape. The current world champion cyclist twittered “This #TdF I’ve too much about ‘second skin’ & ‘kinesio tape’ …..it’s holding me together :o(” A rider from HTC Columbia has an artful application on his knee that mimics his muscle structure in his thigh attaching to the knee.
The tape is generally applied in the direction of muscles or tendons and creates a lifting effect to improve circulation and relieve pain. It can be used to both relax or stimulate muscles, depending on its application. This goes beyond wrapping an ace bandage around a body part. Kinesio offers training and certification, as well as DVD demonstrations to learn proper application to get benefits from the tape. You can pick it up at some sporting good stores, but to get real relief find someone authorized to tape you, which will last up to three days.
