The more IoT and facility automation technologies improve, the more they help optimize athlete and fan experiences
You’ve probably already heard of the different ways that building automation systems improve large-scale commercial buildings via IoT and other smart technologies. But, did you know that these applications are already being widely used to optimize the sports industry? And that doesn’t just mean the venues, but the athletes, coaches, and the games themselves.
Today, we are going to be discussing some of the latest developments in sports automation technologies that have the potential to completely revolutionize the way we watch, coach, and play professional sports. Let’s get started!
How Do Iot Applications and Facility Automation Solutions Improve Sports?
Let’s take a look at some of the ways smart technologies improve sports for coaches and athletes
When we think of facility automation solutions, we often think of lighting, security, or other building operations. However, these applications are being introduced into the sports world on a very human level. Using the same technology that creates smart buildings, athletes and coaches can closely monitor performance, predict injuries, and even make suggestions for the playbook.
Let’s take a look at a few of the ways automation is being used for athletes.
Smart Clothing
One of these innovations is smart apparel. Using sensors embedded in athletic clothing coaches and trainers can monitor key athlete metrics during training. This includes biomechanics, muscle behavior, and injury recovery progress. These metrics are invaluable for coaches and trainers to keep their athletes safe and healthy during the season.
These sensors are not only used to monitor health metrics, they can also report on performance and automatically create suggestions for improvement. Using an IoT, these suggestions are automatically delivered to coaches so they can make more informed decisions as the season progresses.
Smart Shoes
Speaking more specifically about smart apparel, smart footwear is another technology that has the capability to change the sports world. Fully integrated with the facility automation solutions, smart footwear pulls metrics from a built in accelerometer, pressure sensors, and a gyroscope. These devices help athletes improve running form, pace, balance, foot strike, and more.
The collected data helps coaches, trainers, and athletes predict and prevent performance related injuries.
Smart Equipment
Sports equipment is another way that IoT and facility automation solutions are changing sports. Much like with the previous examples, the equipment comes with different sensors installed that can automatically communicate with coaches and trainers to optimize training and performance. For example, smart tennis rackets are being phased into the sport and with great success. Sensors report and make suggestions for improvement when it comes to number of forehands, backhands, speed, and form. These data points are then analyzed and used to make suggestions for improvement.
Never before has this technology been applied to the sports world, so the future possibilities are endless.
How Does Automation Improve Venue Management & Operations
Find out how major sports venues are upgrading fan and athlete experiences using facility automation solutions
Running and maintaining a sporting venue is complicated, difficult work. Often, it is the responsibility of a few dozen people to keep a venue that can hold thousands of people running smoothly. Not to mention, sporting venues make up some of the largest buildings in the world in terms of capacity.
Since management and operations staff can’t have their eye on every square foot of a venue, more venues are relying on facility automation solutions to report, make adjustments, and make suggestions for future improvements.
One of the best applications for sporting venue smart technology is cleanliness. Now more than ever, cleanliness is essential for any high-capacity facility. Using occupancy sensors, the building automation system will detect high traffic areas like restrooms and alert cleaning staff when certain areas of the building need extra attention. This not only increases health and safety in sporting facilities, it also improves the guest experience.
Another important application for sporting facilities is temperature control. For indoor venues, automatic temperature control and monitoring is essential. Not only will audience comfort improve — especially in a crowded venue, the facility will save money on heating and cooling costs. Instead of manually adjusting the temperature when the large audience of fans begins to file in, the sensors will automatically tell the HVAC system to gradually lower the temperature to accommodate body heat.
Sporting events are massive events to coordinate on the part of coaches, teams, trainers, managers, and venues. However, the more we are able to automate the sporting world, the greater insight we have into athlete performance, injury recovery, and facility management.
By prioritizing these developments, facility automation solutions will help change the way fans and athletes alike interact with sports for the better.
