Practice makes perfect

The product development company has created the ArcAid basketball training system to show how low-cost sensors such as cameras can be combined with a smartphone app or laptop for advanced performance monitoring and technique teaching. As well as providing immediate feedback on individual technique or team performance, it can also store data to track training progression over time.

The basketball prototype has been developed to highlight how you can deliver a system with the accuracy and results of an advanced professional training aid – but at a fraction of the cost. The technology and principles of system design could be customised for other sports and fitness applications.

In the UK, around 94.4% of children aged 11-15 participate in some form of group or individual sports. But high-tech training systems are currently extremely expensive and, as a result, limited mainly to professional sports teams. ArcAid demonstrates how it’s possible to combine high tech and low cost in a system for the mass market. It could also incorporate connected health components – such as heart-rate monitoring – for a comprehensive health and fitness training tool.

“Our demonstration training system for basketball includes strategically placed cameras that track the ball around the court and subsequently analyse the shot and guide you on how to improve your technique,” said Ruth Thomson, head of consumer product development at Cambridge Consultants.

“We hope this cost-effective technology will encourage young people from a wide range of backgrounds to strive for excellence in sport. By teaching proper technique and muscle memory at a younger age we can help develop the athletes of the future.”

Cambridge Consultants has a long history of working with household names to develop connected health systems, and sports and fitness technology. It will be demonstrating the basketball training system – together with other innovations such as its latest diagnostics technology that delivers smartphone-enabled vaccine checks – at the 2014 International CES, January 7-10, in the Las Vegas Convention Center South Hall 2, booth 26315.