Innovation in the sports industry is constantly evolving. 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, Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, cloud, data analytics, wearable tech and many more. In the last three years alone, there have been over 76,000 patents filed and granted in the sports industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Internet of Things in Sports: Vitals monitoring exercisers. Buy the report here.
According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which uses over 49,000 patents to analyze innovation intensity for the sport industry, there are 10+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Vitals monitoring exercisers is a key innovation area in sports
Vitals monitoring exercisers measure real-time vital signs of an individual during exercise, including heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and oxygen saturation. IoT-enabled monitoring exercisers are widely adopted in the sports industry to effectively monitor the health, physical and physiological conditions of athletes during physical/strategic training and identify factors for disease screening and injury prevention.
Real-time vital sign monitoring and collection system for individuals during exercise is preeminent from the perspective of healthcare and sports training.
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 170+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established sports companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of vitals monitoring exercisers.
Key players in vitals monitoring exercisers – a disruptive innovation in the sports industry
‘Application diversity’ measures the number of applications identified for each patent. It broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.
‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of countries each patent is registered in. It reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.
Patent volumes related to vitals monitoring exercisers
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Nike is the leading patent filer in performance monitoring sports equipment. Some other key patent filers in performance monitoring sports equipment include adidas, Lululemon Athletica, Peloton Interactive, and Koninklijke Philips.
In terms of application diversity, Ifeel Healthy leads the pack, while Alphabet and neotiv stand in second and third positions, respectively. By means of geographic reach, Lululemon Athletica holds the top position, followed by Nike and Isolynx.
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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