The excitement quotient in sports keeps getting better thanks to the technology that powers various sports. As much as sports is an important part of our life, so is technology. And in this technologically driven world, sport is an exception. The industry needs technology to grow and flourish.
Sports software programs manage tournaments with expertise and excellence. Customized software enables organizers to complete tasks with precision and speed. It also helps to increase the overall sales and turnover of the organization.
Some benefits of how sports software can help organizers, clubs, and management teams
Helps to collect all the data from every possible source. It analyzes the data on a player or game and can interpret the real-time data regarding the performance of the player or the team.
Adding a scheduling function can help to prepare training programs based on match schedules.
The software can track vital statistics of teams through wearable devices and plan the fitness regime accordingly.
One can witness technology in action in multiple applications and sports. This ranges from getting people interested in sports or even making better decisions during a match.
At the US Open, every year is a person tasked with pushing a button. The issue at hand is how a push of this button can impact financial and operational outcomes. The software guides whether the roof must be kept open or closed. It is not just a weather forecast. It is planning operations based on how the weather can impact an event so that decisions can be made in advance rather than as a consequence of when things are happening.
One study done in the USA indicated that a large number of millennials and Gen Z audiences were keen to learn golf if technology could help them along the way. With reference to mobile technology, research revealed that many golfers would play more if their smartphone had an app that kept score or offer a technology that could track distances between holes in the course as per their requirements.
Gold balls have witnessed a fair bit of technological transformation. Purified carbon nanotubes have greater strength and thermal conductivity. They also have a high degree of chemical and thermal safety. This makes the balls durable and performs better on the course. To increase the robustness and thermal conductivity, composite material based on nanotechnology is now used.
New innovations are being seen in action across almost every sport. Carbon-fiber plates in running shoes are helping break new records in running. These shoes help to thrust the athlete forward with each step as the shoes stay responsive. This enables them to reach faster speeds on the track.
New lightweight aerodynamic components made of composites in Formula 1 can help to save a few fractions of a second. In such a demanding environment, every iota of performance can deliver a unique advantage.
Material selection using new-age alloys and technologies has extended across golf clubs, tennis racquets, bicycle frames, and even in high-performance electric motors that are used in racing. Metals, such as lightweight alloys and composites are used in the production of sports equipment as they offer a higher strength-to-weight ratio and greater resistance to impact.
Gliding the ice during the 2022 NHL season is a re-engineered puck. The sensor-embedded puck now has LEDs that were earlier in the center closer to its top and bottom layers. The light from the puck gets beamed through six tiny tubes and the optical tracking system leverages anywhere from 16 to 28 cameras that are hung in the rafters of the sporting arena.
Technology has made a firm foothold as a referee. Video-Assisted-Referee is being used in all major internal sporting events from football, ice hockey, water polo, or cricket. The VAR system reviews the broadcast footage, using as many angles as possible. Real-time replays will be used initially to check for intensity. Slow-motion replays are used to identify the point of contact. In addition to the cameras, there is a comprehensive, two-way, audio communications system that enables match officials and the VAR system operatives to communicate.
VAR systems are being used in all major tournaments on the international stage from Premier Football Leagues to the Olympics to the recently concluded FIFA 2022. Considering just one sport, water polo is now 40% faster with 40% more goals after the advent of VAR.
FIFA 2022 witnessed a highly technologically advanced ball made by sporting giant Adidas. The ball enables real-time data to be provided to FIFA officials that assist the referee in offside decisions and goal calls. In Portugal’s match with Uruguay, Cristiano Ronaldo was awarded the goal but the connected ball technology residing with the official match ended the debate regarding who should have been given the breakthrough effort against Uruguay and the decision went in favour of the actual goal scorer.
Carbon fiber and magnesium play an integral role in the creation of equipment and essential kit for a range of sports. They can both be formed into intricate shapes, making them ideal for many very niche manufacturing applications in this sector.
Titanium is also favoured in some sports. Golf clubs, tennis racquets, and blades for figure skating are some examples. Scandium, a rare earth, is used in the manufacture of baseball bats and other sports equipment. Molybdenum and nickel can be found in racing boats. Metals can also be found in shin guards and goal structures in field hockey and football.
Magnesium alloys, even those used for structural applications, can be recycled back into products displaying the same chemical, physical, and mechanical characteristics as primary metals. Recycling magnesium alloys only requires 5% of the energy required to produce primary magnesium alloys. Even recycling aluminium consumes about 5% of the energy as compared to producing virgin aluminium.
As the demand for such metals keeps rising, reliance on traditional mining can pose a danger to the global supply chain. Dependence on a few countries for critical metals can bring production to a halt during a war or a political crisis.
The electronic waste found in landfills across cities can fuel the needs of industries with a cheaper and highly eco-friendly alternative.
As a circular economy strategy, urban mining can contribute to the development of sustainable cities by using materials and energy recovered from existing infrastructure and landfills. Modern technologies such as smartphones or electric vehicles that rely on metals with vulnerable supply chains can coast a possible crisis with the help of urban mining.
Greenscape Eco Management has established itself as a formidable player in the urban mining movement since 2007.