Adidas Brings You the First ‘Smart’ Soccer Match

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Zenith Comment:  This is just VERY cool!

Adidas and Major League Soccer today (April 10th) announced that the 2012 AT&T MLS All-Star Game will feature the company's "micoach professional soccer team tracking system." 

The technology will be built into the apparel, said Michael Ehrlich, a spokesman for Adidas America, which is based in Portland. (Original version of this post mistakenly said it would be built into jerseys.)

But the company released few other details about the system on Tuesday, saying more would be announced in advance of the July 25 All-Star Game in Philadelphia. 

The system, a news release says, "provides coaches with real time performance metrics on the field of play including player position, power output, speed, distance covered, intensity of play, acceleration and GPS heat mapping." 

A photo accompanying the news release suggests that the data may be projected for public analysis. 

In other words, now fans may have irrefutable proof whether a professional athlete is, indeed, dogging it. 

The introduction of the system follows last October's announcement at Adidas America of the micoach SPEED_CELL that can be attached to soccer shoes to record a variety of data. The SPEED_CELL was introduced at the same time as a soccer shoe to carry the device, the adizero f50 micoach.

"Our leading innovations help athletes and coaches on the field of play and we are finding ways to use these innovations to create more immersive sporting environments and experiences that will revolutionize the way we view sports and engage and excite fans," Patrik Nilsson, Adidas America president, said in a news release. 

Because it is the officials supplier of uniforms, aka "apparel," for the MLS, Adidas will have no issues with every player -- who has an individual choice of shoes -- taking part in the micoach tracking system. 

The team-tracking technology was developed at Adidas AG headquarters in Germany, which presents the intriguing possibility that it could be introduced into apparel worn in the National Hockey League. Adidas AG-owned Reebok is the NHL's uniform supplier.

The tracking system has been tested and developed with MLS and its clubs, multiple

national teams, and clubs in Europe, according to the news release.Following All-Star Game, the new technology will be rolled out globally in the coming seasons.

 

View full sizeAdidasThis drawing suggests the capabilities of the micoach data system.

Smart Adidas shoes let you mimic your favorite athlete

PumaPulse Curated By ZenithOptimedia, The ROI Agency Find out more at http://puma-pulse.blogspot.com

A new “intelligent” soccer cleat from Adidas promises to allow you to compare your performance with the game’s greatest players.

The innovative shoes, which contain an embedded chip that records and analyzes a player’s performance, have already been worn by star footballer Lionel Messi. The technology allows the German sporting goods giant to show you what you did and how it compares to previous efforts, friends and world-class players.

(No word on how the shoes will help you get over the bout of depression you’ll face with that last one.)

The cleats are the product of two years of research and development, Adidas says, and are yet another attempt to gain a competitive edge over American rival Nike, which counts star soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo among its stable of top-flight athletes, has a similar product in its Nike Plus platform and whose gains in the sport have been sizeable, at Adidas’ expense.

The smart shoe is a digitized version of the company’s f50 adizero, introduced in 2010 as the lightest cleat on the market, at just 165 grams. Now, it carries an eight-gram chip slipped beneath the sole that wirelessly transmits data, including maximum speed, distance covered.

The company is marketing them as the “football boot with a brain.”

The footwear runs on a modified version of Adidas’ miCoach platform, which was first introduced in 2006 for runners. Soccer, which involves 360-degree movement that’s more complicated than simple forward progress, represents the next step for the technology.

Unsurprisingly, the company says it’s investigating similar applications for basketball, tennis and American football in the first half of next year.

The shoes will go on sale in Europe, Asia and Latin America on Nov. 15 for 245 euros, or about $338. The U.S. receives them Dec. 1.

Source: http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/smart-takes/smart-adidas-shoes-let-you-mimic-your-favorite-athlete/20309

 

Adidas Launches The SPEED_CELL Workout Tracker

PumaPulse Curated By ZenithOptimedia, The ROI Agency Find out more at http://puma-pulse.blogspot.com

Not content to let Nike hog the spotlight, Adidas has launched the SPEED_CELL, a miCoach compatible shoe dongle that senses your foot’s speed, acceleration, and distance travelled. The SPEED_CELL works with multiple sports and fits right inside the shoe’s outsole.

Unlike the Nike+ gear, the SPEED_CELL is more focused on general sporting rather than solely on running. It offers a window on the athlete’s performance and works with the miCoach virtual coaching service to allow weekend warriors to get fit without depending on a fireplug-shaped man yelling at them through a bullhorn.

With the miCoach SPEED_CELL, athletes of every level will be able to track their unique stats including average speed, maximum speed, number of sprints, distance at high intensity levels, steps and stride during play. The on-board memory then stores seven hours of an athlete’s metrics and wirelessly transmits the on-field performance data to their smartphone, tablet, PC or MAC. 

Shoes for soccer, basketball, football, and tennis will support the SPEED_CELL. It will be available on December 1st for $70. MiCoach Running will launch at the same time, followed by apps for basketball, tennis, and football. 

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2011/10/25/adidas-launches-the-speed_cell-workout-tracker/

 

Adidas Launches adizero f50 Powered by miCoach - The Boot with a Brain

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Adidas unveils the intelligent football boot, the adizero f50 powered by miCoach. Soon to be made famous as the ground breaking 'football boot with a brain', the 2011 adizero f50 is bringing smart technology to the field of play. Football is faster than ever before and the need for speed has never been greater. miCoach turns the adizero f50 into the ultimate digital training tool by letting you track and upload performance data including speed, maximum speed, number of sprints, distance, distance at high intensity levels and time. The adizero f50 boot includes a cavity in the outsole unit which houses the revolutionary miCoach SPEED_CELL™, capturing 360° movement and measuring key performance metrics including speed, average speed (recorded every second), maximum speed (recorded every five seconds), number of sprints, distance, distance at high intensity levels, steps and stride rates. The on-board memory stores all your measurements during your game or training for up to seven hours and then wirelessly transmits the on pitch performance data to your tablet, PC or MAC. Available material includes stills of the boot, Lionel Messi, miCoach SPEED_CELL™, Sprintframe technology as well as beauty shots of the adizero f50 miCoach.  

Source: http://news.adidas.com/GLOBAL/PERFORMANCE/adizero-f50-powered-by-micoach/s/3353ae67-c34c-4b23-a446-516696142f97