Tag: gyroscope

Krack Up

KrackSkate culture is one that we truly could say has many “old school” elements, but a new start-up dubbed Krack is looking to change things. The wearables company is looking to bring fitness tracking to the board culture. This isn’t as easy as it sounds as skateboarding is a technical sport that involves many quick and precise movements.

Krack’s new system includes tiny sensors that attach to the bottom of a skateboard, and these feature a gyroscope, accelerometer, and magnetometer to collect data, while an algorithms is able to make sense of it. The big question of course is why? The answer is that this could allow skaters to track progress – and possibly allow it to be used to show off their skills even if someone didn’t witness the skater in motion. It could also be used to enhance the skateboarding community through social media.

Krack Official Website

Watch and Learn

GYMWATCHThere are plenty of cardio-focused fitness trackers on the market, but a heart rate monitor and calorie counter only goes so far at the gym. This is where the GYMWATCH comes in. It is a new fitness tracker, which is being developed through an Indiegogo campaign to measure strength and motion. It is thus aimed at those who hit the gym to gain weight and mass instead of losing it. The GYMWATCH is worn on an armband and features a built-in accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer to record movement and strength during a workout.

It is paired with a smartphone so users can monitor the process – but of course not phone it in! Video after the jump

Head Light System

CheckLightReebok is introducing a new light for the head, but it isn’t one that allows the wearer to see where he/she is going. Rather the CheckLight is meant to determine if an athlete has taken an impact to the head. The light is mounted to a skull cap that can be worn beneath any type of traditional sports helmet or just on its own.

The cap contains a tri-axial accelerometer and a gyroscope, to measure linear and rotational acceleration, respectively, while a built-in microprocessor analyzes their output whenever an impact occurs. This can help coaches and athletes stay in check with what is happening following a potentially serious impact.

Reebok CheckLight Official Website

CES 2012 Preview: Gobandit is Coming

What do we know about the gobandit digital camcorder? Not much, but the CES teaser said to “Get ready for something new,” and promised readers: “Now you can shoot, show and share much more than a video clip. gobandit captures experience more detailed than ever. Full HD, GPS, acceleration sensor, gyroscope and 150° wide angel show you more than words could ever tell.”

We’ll be sure to check out this at next week’s Consumer Electronics Show.

Gobandit Official Website

Bike Stability Still Baffles Science

If you’re just learning how to ride a bike, you may be surprised at how stable the bike is once you start rolling. It turns out an academic team of engineers studied the physics behind cycling and still remain puzzled by a bike’s ability to be self-stable.

This group of academics with degrees in engineering wrote a paper published in Science Mag, “A Bicycle Can Be Self-Stable Without Gyroscopic or Caster Effects.” The group of four engineers studied the bike, its history, and built a bike absent of gyroscopic forces found on most bikes, and found the bike still remains upright. While the math works out, the physics remain a bit of a mystery.

via [ars technica]