A growing number of teams are finding that wearables are also helping to reduce the risk of injury.
Only three years ago, before wearable technology was as commonplace in the form of fitness trackers, it wasn’t uncommon for teams to use large, complex machinery to attempt to understand an athlete’s movements and habits in order to prevent injury and boost performance.
This was the case at the University of Toronto, where the varsity team had been using “what looked like a lab tool.”
This, according to engineer Rami Nabel, who was a student at the time and was weight training when he saw the tracking equipment used to try to track and analyze the performance of the varsity team. Nabel explained that the device that was used “was really intricate. There was a tripod, a display screen and a big box on the ground, with lots of wires everywhere.” Nowadays, though, wearable technology is accomplishing many of the same goals as that lab-style equipment, but in a much simpler way and at a much lower cost.
Nabel is now the founder and CEO of a fitness tracking wearable technology company called Push Inc.
Push is enabled by smartphones and is based on an armband that the athlete wears in order to be able to track and analyze various different factors throughout strength training. The device s currently being used by more than 25 professional teams around the globe and, according to Nabel, “we’re growing in the college and amateur market as well.”
This plays into a rapidly growing trend that is using wearables to help to measure performance, and the companies that are grabbing hold of a part of this trend are finding that they can make a place for themselves relatively quickly at the moment, simply because the market has yet to reach its saturation point.
According to the Canadian City of Hamilton’s business development manager, Norm Schleehanhn, “We see performance analytics as an area ripe for growth.” In July, that city announced that the surrounding area would be focusing on this field in order to become a center of excellence within performance and wearable technology. “Tech companies can take advantage of our excellent sports facilities, world-renowned health networks and post-secondary institutions to create useful partnerships.”
This new form of wearable technology comes in the form of artificial fingernails with digital animations.
An Australia based wearable technology company called Metaverse has now brought its unique augmented reality artificial nails to China, where it is allowing girls to be able to use adhesive artificial fingernails to not only make it look as though they have perfect painted nails, but also to be able to enhance their fashion statement through their smartphone screens.
AR technology makes it possible to add a digital flair to these wearables with holograms and backgrounds.
The augmented reality nails are easy to use. They are applied to the nail just like any other artificial nail, and then they are viewed through a smartphone screen through the use of the Metaverse app. These wearables were first unveiled at the Creative 3 conference at Queensland University of Technology. The founder of the company, Thea Baumann showed off the products while discussing the intentions of the company to use a recent $750,000 investment in order to bring the fashion tech to China.
Metaverse plans to use the augmented reality product as a part of a larger 3D social network project.
Within this 3D social network, it will be possible for users to be able to share their three dimensional animations with their friends simply by aiming their smartphones at their artificial nails. The point is to encourage nail bar customers to be able to use the mobile app while they wait for their nails to be done. The app store at Metaverse offers a range of different hologram options from which consumers will be able to choose.
That same store also sells the brand’s soon-to-launch smart clothing, custom digital designs, gaming designs, and accessories. As the AR technology is accessed through smartphones that users already own, there is no need to have to add any additional electronics into the wearables. Instead, the images are viewed through the app and the mobile device screen.
Baumann explained that “We act as a counter-voice to what is perceived as wearable technology,” adding that “We don’t see ourselves as sitting in that quantified space. We’re embedding wearable technology in the growing nail industry and adding value to what is already a vibrant nail and beauty sector.” This allows the augmented reality to provide a seamless transition between the two areas.
Push is enabled by smartphones and is based on an armband that the athlete wears in order to be able to track and analyze various different factors throughout strength training. The device s currently being used by more than 25 professional teams around the globe and, according to Nabel, “we’re growing in the college and amateur market as well.”