Serious athletes in sports like basketball, football, soccer and tennis will no longer have to feel out of the loop when it comes to smart fitness trackers like the Nike+, which is specifically designed for runners only. Adidas Is getting into the technology game with the miCoach Speed_Cell tracking system ($70) that records more than just how far you might run.
The system includes a special sensor (seen above in the Adizero f50 soccer cleat) that will fit into the outsole of compatible Adidas shoes and will be able to track up to seven hours of athletic stats. Instead of just recording distance traveled like a GPS or pedometer system would, the Adidas miCoach Speed_Cell will be able to record everything from average speed, maximum speed, number of sprints, distance at high intensity levels, to steps and stride during play. This valuable information will be wirelessly transmitted to each player’s smartphone, tablet, Mac, or PC. By consistently monitoring specifics stats like this, Adidas hopes they can help athletes recognize problems and strengths in order to improve.
The device itself will be available starting December 1, and the company plans to release a full range of compatible shoes for the aforementioned sports in the coming year. Adidas also plans to release a series of sport-specific apps (starting with miCoach Soccer and miCoach Running on December 1) to give users even more specific ways to track progress.
Look for the device and the first two sport-specific apps on December 1 and more compatible shoes and apps to come in the near future.
