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6 - If unicorns made boxing gloves

6 - If unicorns made boxing gloves

and other smart ideas

Bryan Roberts
February 15, 2023

Hello there!

Delivered every working day, this newsletter inspires the world's greatest sports innovators to create the future of sport.

None of the content below is sponsored, we simply love the work they do and think it will spark a little bit of inspiration over your coffee break.

If something is sponsored in the future we will let you know!

Smart Rings! Honestly when we seen Oura quite a few years back, we thought smart rings would be a fad. So it is time to stick our hands up and say we were wrong!! The latest smart ring to pick up the headlines is Ultrahuman. Ultrahuman will provide Real-time metabolic biomarkers all day, all year. Can't wait to see if they are any good.
This is new - we are going to reference a sport that was created in 1940's that is now trending - Throwball. Popular in Asia, especially in India, throwball is catching on around the world growing over 100% in Google Trends, perhaps it will be the next pickleball????
Kickerball - making mega moves on Amazon. The kickerball was one of this years hot Christmas presents. Such a simple idea to get kids off their iPad and into the fields
Solar powered sports equipment. It's been a while coming, but we think the technology is ready to hit the masses. Cycling computers (the link is the first one ever) appear to be the area that solar powered gear is working well, so let's see how it progresses to other fields, sports, beaches and athletic tracks near you.
Gokoo are trying to commoditise smart watches with affordable options. They have gained 3000% interest from buyers on Google since 2022.

Ultrahuman Ring Wearables & Sports

Crowdfunding Now

GOOOCAP - Inflatable protective headwear that can be placed under motorbike and cycling helmets. We have always known that air is a great lightweight protector - perhaps GOOOCAP can convince the public.
CHVFG - The 3-in-1 Versatile Fascia Gun for Everyone - Heat, Cold and Vibrate
HCK5R - All Season Graphene Heated Gloves
Life In A Pack - Your complete adventure and survival pack
Toolix - The coolest way to keep your tools tidy when camping

Gooocap The Ultra Sports Airbag Helmet

Body / Mind

Earn money while you workout with Paceline Credit Card. "However you move, you’ll be rewarded with up to 5% cash back on Health & Wellness purchases when you hit your streak" - ooofffftttt - love this idea. Others include Zeus & Neero Health
Feeling cold at the moment? Don't worry - Carhartt's new AI powered $220 smart heated vest will be available starting February 1st and automatically adjusts the temperature to keep you comfortable in the cold.
Wearables market grows to $60 Billion according to Yahoo
Need some Hot Sauce? Well tomorrow you may be stretching for Mountain Dew Hot Sauce on the top shelf of your local supermarket. A brand stretching too far off piste? Oh! and it's neon blue to boot.
Gummy this, gummy that. Seems likes gummies are no longer the staple of children, but the snacksident of adults. Electrolyte gummies feature potassium, sodium, chloride and calcium for a full replenishment of essential electrolytes

Mountain Dew Hot Sauce

Sports Science

"In this paper, we present a wearable and a set of machine learning models that

are able to deduce runners’ emotions during their training. The solution is based on the analysis of runners’ electrodermal activity, a physiological parameter widely used in the field of emotion recognition."

Baldassarri et al., 2023 - Wearables and Machine Learning for Improving Runners’ Motivation from an Affective Perspective - Link

Interesting! Are emotions one of the strongest indicators of performance on a specific day?

We simply do not know, but it's an interesting theory and it would be great to investigate any correlations. Good luck to these guys!

Technology (AR, VR, AI, E-sports, etc.)

AirRes Mask - A Precise and Robust Virtual Reality Breathing Interface. Making us feel like VR is real!
Latest release from HTF Market Intelligence Consulting gives an 69 page overview of the VR Fitness Game Market
Ryan Engle of Golf+ gives VR Fitness Insider Podcast the low down on VR Golf
Need to make your product smart? Check out Baracoda - a smart productising (is that a word?) consultancy
Nice review of the 12 best VR boxing games to play in 2023 by exputer

AirRes Mask: A Precise and Robust Virtual Reality Breathing Interface

Hot Brands

Stio - a fast growing mountain sports brand, where the CEO Stephen Sullivan says "Stio is apparel we are confident you will live in, in both the epic and everyday moments of your outdoor life." Well done guys!
Autry - Hot new sneaker brand making waves in America
Ododos - Trending athleisure brand. Odos means Way - Ododos means "With you every stretch of the way!"
If you can't go to the course, then get a Putt-a-bout - coming back to a boardroom near you.
Sanabul - great new brand making boxing gloves cool