Pulse Jam

Intelligent Training - Just Add Water

There are a number of athletes and fitness enthusiasts who are unable to run outdoors due to joint pain and so, do a fair amount of exercises in the pool.  AQX Sports has developed an aquatic workout shoe just for you.  The ATS is designed with strategically-placed hydrodynamic fins on each side, the shoes add 20-30% more resistance to any aquatic exercise. They also have a 100% sticky rubber outsole that prevents slipping on any pool surface.

The ATS is designed for:
  · Deep water running to simulate running on land without the impact on your joints
  · Shallow water drills and plyometrics to build speed, agility, and quickness
  · Rehabilitation and therapy exercises
  · Aquatic fitness
  · Overall core strengthening

Now all you have to do is just add water...

MiBand - No More Excuses...

Cambridge Consultants have now removed all excuses regarding keeping track of our daily activity.  The MiBand is a wrist worn device which continuously tracks activity levels throughout the day.   It requires very little user-input and sends its data to a behavioral coaching system called  MiLife which then provides health and fitness guidance. Trials have shown users increase activity by more than 2 hours a week.

MiBand features an integrated accelerometer that measures activity levels throughout the day based on your movement. This data is combined with weight measurements, taken remotely from a special set of MiLife’s ‘Bluetooth^® Smart Scales’ that transmit automatically to the device when it's in use.  And, since it's on your wrist, that can be pretty much anytime.  The data is transmitted wirelessly via Bluetooth to a PC and then uploaded to the individual’s online health record, which then provides advice based on the individual’s lifestyle.

There really are no more excuses....

Top 10 Sites For NBA Online

It's Baaaaaack, the NBA season, and now thankfully, there are a number of online options to get all the basketball info you want.  From up to date scores and team info to your fantasy leagues, we've assembled a short list of online resources for the NBA fan. 

If there are other sites we should include, please let us know. 

Sports & NBA Info

ESPN.com - The well-known sports network features all of the latest scores, news and in-depth analysis of every aspect of the game.

NBA.com - The official website of the National Basketball Association.

Sports.Yahoo.com - Yahoo’s basketball section features dedicated sections for injuries and rumors, making it essential reading for anyone participating in a fantasy league.

SportsIllustrated.CNN.com - Has pages for each of the NBA teams, scores and suggested reading from other sites around the Web.

Sportsline.com - The CBS Sportsline site focuses heavily on their fantasy league as much as they do on the news and scores.

USAToday.com - Not quite as in-depth as some other sources, USA Today brings you headlines and some analysis on the latest happenings.

Fantasy League News

FantasyBasketballCafe.com - FantasyBasketballCafe gives you articles on how to do things like conduct a successful trade, rank players, and the sleeper of the week.

Head2Head.com - Head2Head brings you all of the latest news from the league, but also tops it off with a potential impact analysis for the overall game, and, in turn, your fantasy team.

HoopsWorld.com - Very in-depth analysis of what is going on around the league as it pertains to fantasy league play.

Rotoworld.com - Rotoworld brings you all of the latest NBA news that is most pertinent to basketball fantasy players, along with in-depth analysis.

PulseGear - Biking Sunglasses With Super Vision

Having just finished my first marathon, my next goal is to become proficient on the bike.  Actually, I have to since I will be competing in an Eagle Man next year.  Fortunately, Nike is in the concept phase with specially designed biking glasses to provide peripheral vision by using specifically tuned Fresnel lenses. 

The Nike Hindsight is clearly intended for bicyclists with the benefit of reducing the necessary head rotation to check behind.  By using Fresnel lenses, which are kind of like magnifying lenses, flat in the middle and curved at the edges, on both sides of the glasses, riders can detect motion in a field of view beyond the normal human limit of 180º. Since sports technology is our focus, technically speaking, high power, diverging fresnel zones aligned vertically provide and an extra 25º on both sides. Vision is radically distorted in the periphery, but as the eye detects only motion in that area, little clarity is lost in the process.

Please note, these are still concept - meaning you can't acquire them, yet.  However, as soon as they do come out, you better believe I will pick up a pair.  I'll be looking for all the help I can get as I will be adding more weekly miles on my bike.

A Fight For White Space

If you think this past weekend's football games were competitive, you should see the fight that has been looming at the FCC.  Over the past two years the Sports Video Group represented by ESPN and microwave manufacturers, Shure and Sennheiser have been lobbying the FCC not to approve wireless devices to be used in stadiums and arenas from leading technology companies, including Microsoft. 

White Space refers to the portion of the spectrum that exists alongside the 700-MHz bands that were auctioned off primarily to cell phone services providers earlier this year in preparation for the wholesale move of analog television out of the 700-MHz space. Several companies including Google, Microsoft, Motorola, and Phillips have been testing white space devices, but the devices haven't been proven in real world situations.

The white space devices in question are hardware devices that can transmit and receive broadband over unused TV channel frequencies.  However, the Sports Video Group is raising a fuss over the threat that they say unlicensed broadband devices could pose to wireless mic use from coaches on the field.

The FCC will met meeting on November 4 to decide.  And you thought pro football was tough.

Technology In The Dugout - Pitchers

Pitcher Perfect

During the course of this year, we've identified a few areas in baseball that have been enhanced through sports technology.  As we're in the middle of the World Series, let's see how technology can optimize pitchers' performance.  A number of baseball teams and individual players, pro through amateur, make the pilgrimage to the American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI) in Birmingham, Ala.  ASMI analyzes the hurlers' mechanics, with an eye toward identifying potential injury prone motions, and most importantly point out areas for possibly improving performance.

ASMI uses six synchronized black-and-white cameras, each shooting 240 frames per second. They record each pitcher, who, with reflective markers taped to his joints, goes through his delivery. LEDs mounted on the cameras project infrared light that reflect off the markers. A computer analyzes the camera data to create a 3D representation of the delivery. Calculations then determined joint angles and angular velocities.

Maximum pitching velocity requires the proper chain of coordination from the leg drive to hip rotation to shoulder and trunk rotation to arm motion. If the hips rotate slightly late, for instance, the pitcher can't realize his maximum potential velocity. Videos combined with motion analysis data printout can help pitching coaches identify areas that need help.

Of course, you don't have to go to Alabama to see what you're doing wrong. All players can review videos of their games with the coaches. A pitcher going through a slump can learn what he's currently doing incorrectly by comparing videos of his current poor performance to videos shot when everything was working right.  

As we've mentioned before, the proper use of sports technologies can truly become a game changer, both for the optimization of the athlete and team and most importantly, to minimize or prevent injury, thereby extending the athlete's career. 

Now, back to the TV for more World Series.

PulseGear: iMuffs - Wireless Headphones When You're On The Go

Wi-Gear, the company that is committed to building a world without wires, thinks people who exercise or are on-the-go deserve to enjoy their music hassle-free. That’s why they developed iMuffs, which allow users to listen to their iPod or Bluetooth phone through a sleek, ergonomically-designed set of headphones that are wireless yet deliver great stereo sound.

iMuffs are perfect for the folks who exercise and absolutely need their music during their workout, but do not want the hassle of tangled wires or hard-to-use controls. The design of the units features clean, sleek simplicity for ultimate on-the-go control. The headset stays on even through sports and fitness activities, and the large, intuitive, controls let the user pause, change volume, skip tracks, and seek music right from the headset, even with gloves on.  This, from experience, is a cool, cool feature.

With Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) and Bluetooth 2.0 technology, users enjoy near-CD quality sound up to 30' (10m) away. When paired with a Bluetooth phone, iMuffs automatically pause the iPod and ring in the headphones, allowing the user to talk through the integrated microphone. The latest iMuffs model represents the first wireless headphones with Clear Voice Capture (CVC) echo and noise cancelation software to ensure the highest quality, clearest voice communications using an integrated microphone.

Stay Fit With The Nokia 5500 Sport

Yesterday we highlighted how you can burn calories while at work.  The cell phone makers want to make sure their voice is heard (no pun intended).  Nokia has introduced the new Nokia 5500 Sport for the express purpose of reaching the hard core fitness enthusiast.  It's designed to easily monitor your fitness activities and with some easily downloadable software you can begin to analyze, (read, sports intelligence) all those activities.

The handset is wrapped with water proof, dust proof and shock proof casing.  The front section of the handset is made largely of rubber and the keys are built into the rubber.

Of course, what's working out without music.  The Nokia 5500 Sport has a button tht will switch between the built-in music player, the training software and the handset's today screen.  

The preinstalled software includes support for many cardio activities such as, walking, running, cycling, rowing and stair stepping etc. Once you enter your age, height and weight, it can work out (pun intended) calories burned.  Additionally, the software can generate custom programs based on your preferred activity and goals.

I wonder if it can run my marthon for me....

PITCH f/x - Watching The World Series On TV

As we sit down to watch the first game of the World Series tonight, SportVision, a Chicago based tech company will be showing off it's sports technology using it's most ambitious technology offering to day, PITCHf/x.

Using three high-speed cameras, PITCHf/x measures the release, velocity, spin, and movement of every pitch at 60 points on the way to home plate. It also categorizes the pitches, be they fastballs, cutters, curves, sliders, or change-ups, and makes all the data publicly available.

The system was immediately embraced by fantasy leaguers and baseball bloggers for revealing a new stratum of detail about the game inside the game. It has also been put to use by the teams themselves, swaying personnel decisions as they assemble and reassemble their teams. 

PITCHf/x is also affecting the big business around professional baseball. For starters, broadcasters no longer have to guess about pitch type or movement because that information is now apparent to them and to viewers. Sportvision also transfers pitch information to the GameDay application at MLB.com, allowing visitors to watch online in pitch-by-pitch detail. Not that I'm advocating watching baseball on company time....

Exercise While You Work

For all the exercise nuts, I mean the folks who have to work out all the time, here is the exercise device for you.  The WalkStation provides those people working from home, call centers or uniquely equipped offices the opportunity to literally exercise while you work.  At a maximum speed of 2 mph, the WalkStation lets you walk comfortably, burn calories, feel healthier and more energized...all while accomplishing the work you would normally do while seated.  No sweat!

This does sound like a healthy option for sedentary workers at the office, enabling them to burn calories while they work.  Calories are burned every day through normal day-to-day activity.  The WalkStation simply accelerates the burning of a few more calories.  For example, there are a large number of people who spend most of their day seated in front of a computer.  If seated time were replaced by walking while working, energy expenditure could increase by 100 calories per hour.