Game-Changing Advances in Sensors

Athletes have a new way to measure their on-field performance.

You may be familiar with “smart balls,” such as the Adidas intelligent soccer ball that includes an integrated sensor to detect speed, spin, strike and flight path to help kickers perfect their technique.

Now, Zepp Labs is focusing on the kicker’s leg. Zepp Play Soccer is a small sensor worn on the calf to keep tabs on things such as kicks, sprints and distance covered.

Not intended as a training tool, the wearable sensor is actually designed as an in-match performance tracker.

As described in a New Atlas article, the sensor slips into a provided calf sleeve to be worn on the player's dominant leg. It then hooks up with a smartphone over Bluetooth and uses an accelerometer and gyroscope inside to monitor key elements of the player’s performance.

If you want to know how far you ran, your maximum speed and the number of kicks vs. sprints, a handy post-game analysis app is served up after the game. If there is film of the player’s on-field work, then the system can even generate a highlight reel.

Zepp Play Soccer, priced at $100, runs on a rechargeable lithium-ion battery good for 40 hours.