As we normally link some gadgets with wearable technology which determine the number of your steps or calories, the winter sports wearable technology is on rise. This comprises of a lot of things including GPS enabled safety helmets and smart ski glasses. Every athlete even from bobsledders to ski jumpers will be equipped with a large number of devices which are built to enhance their performance.
Self-Heating Jacket from Team Ralph Lauren
Olympians need to stay warm and cozy while Pyeongchang’s weather is predicted to be the coldest amongst last 5 Olympic destinations. Ralph Lauren came out with an amazing solution to this problem as they introduced a self-heating jacket. This jacket was snapped up and sold out in minutes after just being inaugurated during opening ceremony. Battery lasts for as long as 11 hours and settings and temperature can be adjusted just by an app.
“This time, the team took it to a new level, using flexible fabrics to heat a jacket in a way that we had never seen before,” says David Lauren, The Chief Innovation Officer of Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren is planning to take feedback from American athletes who wore it during the opening in order to decide how are they going to use this innovation in their future products.
Olympic Skaters’ SmartSuite by Samsung
Samsung has fitted SmartSuits on couple of athletes from Netherlands. These suits are designed to make better their skating stance and they information about their body and posture is delivered to national coach in real time. An app is integrated with the suit which absorbs and process the data and throws away signals that eventually send a vibration to the wrist, notifying skaters to improve their position.
“By quantifying the posture, we can train even more effectively. I have noticed that Sjinkie and Suzanne already benefit from this unique innovation,” Stated Dutch coach Jeroen Otter
Payments through NFC-enabled wearables
Visa has introduced wearable payment methods with Near Field Communication (NFC) enabled technology for the winter Olympics. These wearables consist of gloves, a sticker and Olympic pin. These accessories work exactly like prepaid cards. Tapping wearables on any of the NFC-enabled outposts in Olympic venues, athletes can pay for souvenirs, food and other services and stuff.
A Visa spokesperson stated that “We’re looking forward to seeing the reaction and adoption from fans and athletes in South Korea. While we can’t disclose the number of devices that have been produced and sold thus far, each wearable is a limited-edition item so they will be highly coveted on-the-ground at the Games,”
Halo Sport
The United States ski team is hopeful to increase their chances with the assistance of Halo Sport. Halo Sport is a wearable device that resembles some over sized headphones. It enhances brain performance with the help of pulses which eventually power’s the athletes’ most productive workout. This practice is known as Neuropriming. Neuropriming enhances brain’s feedback during training and puts it into a non-permanent hyper-learning state. Which in return elevates strength and dexterity.
