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

Company Total patents (2010 - 2021) Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies
Casio Computer 7 Unlock company profile
iFIT Health & Fitness 73 Unlock company profile
NIKE 364 Unlock company profile
Microsoft 10 Unlock company profile
Alphabet 25 Unlock company profile
Humanware 5 Unlock company profile
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Forderung der Angewandten Forschung 9 Unlock company profile
Cyberdyne 6 Unlock company profile
Koninklijke Philips 79 Unlock company profile
Honda Motor 8 Unlock company profile
Mitsubishi Electric 5 Unlock company profile
Medicon Ireland 7 Unlock company profile
NuStep 12 Unlock company profile
Omron 7 Unlock company profile
Brunswick 6 Unlock company profile
Polar Electro 28 Unlock company profile
AlterG 12 Unlock company profile
Sony Group 32 Unlock company profile
Bose 10 Unlock company profile
MC10 5 Unlock company profile
Technogym 11 Unlock company profile
Fossil Group 8 Unlock company profile
Nautilus 9 Unlock company profile
adidas 109 Unlock company profile
Lululemon Athletica 88 Unlock company profile
Intel 10 Unlock company profile
The Cleveland Clinic Foundation 10 Unlock company profile
AIRBORNE ATHLETICS 7 Unlock company profile
BALANCED BODY 9 Unlock company profile
Safway Group 5 Unlock company profile
Peloton Interactive 85 Unlock company profile
KEBA 8 Unlock company profile
Samsung Group 18 Unlock company profile
Shanghai Yongzheng Network Technology 7 Unlock company profile
ICON Eyecare - Management Team 17 Unlock company profile
Arccos Golf 5 Unlock company profile
TritonWear 11 Unlock company profile
Wahoo Fitness 16 Unlock company profile
Tonal Systems 7 Unlock company profile
Interactive Strength 19 Unlock company profile
Isolynx 13 Unlock company profile
Lagree Technologies 12 Unlock company profile
Celume Development 6 Unlock company profile
Dugan Health 7 Unlock company profile
Dpe Medical 6 Unlock company profile
ROM Technologies 11 Unlock company profile
Sato Sports Plaza 8 Unlock company profile
WellO2 6 Unlock company profile
Integrated Health Partners 9 Unlock company profile
Muoverti 7 Unlock company profile

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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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.