Innovation in the sports industry is constantly evolving, with activity driven by digital advancements, high-level of social media interactions, broad appeal for immersive sports experience, and fan engagement, as well as the growing importance of technologies such as virtual and augmented reality, blockchain, artificial intelligence, IoT, robotics, cloud, data analytics, wearable tech and many more. In the last three years alone, there have been over 48,000 patents filed and granted in the sports industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Cloud in Sports: Exercise visualisation applications.
According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which uses over 101,000 patents to analyse innovation intensity for the sports industry, there are 20+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Exercise visualisation applications is a key innovation area in Cloud
Visualisation applications work by monitoring user body movements and simulating them in real-time like gaming consoles. Visualisation has been scientifically proven to increase athletic performance, increase muscle strength and to be an effective motivator in cultivating endurance.
GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 60+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established sports companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of exercise visualisation applications.
Key players in exercise visualisation applications – a disruptive innovation in the sports industry
‘Application diversity’ measures the number of different applications identified for each relevant patent and broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.
‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of different countries each relevant patent is registered in and reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.
Patent volumes related to exercise visualisation applications
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Nike is one of the leading patent filers in exercise visualisation application. Some other key patent filers in the industry include adidas and Amer Sports. Visualisation application is one of the maturing innovation spheres of cloud innovation, where adoption is well established.
In terms of application diversity, Sportsmedia Technology & Whoop leads the pack. FitStar Labs and Kaia Health Software stand in second and third positions, respectively. By means of geographic reach, Amer Sports holds the top position, followed by Project X and Max Planck Society.
Visualisation allows more efficient utilisation of content leading to improved performance, enhanced muscle strength, increased self-confidence, attention concentration and decreased anxiety.
To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the sports industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Sports.
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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
