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A new device puts a “coach” on the back of elite aspiring athletes, enabling them to track their performance and improve their game.
PLAYR is a smart wearable vest designed by Benjamin Hubert of LAYER, an experience design agency, for Catapult, a sports analytics and tech company.
Catapult works with more than 1,500 elite sports teams around the world, including Chelsea FC, Leicester City, the England cricket team, Golden State Warriors and the Scotland rugby team. PLAYR takes the technology the company uses in professional sport franchises and makes it available to a consumer audience.
The PLAYR system consists of a wireless smart pod, a high-performance vest and an app. The pod, inserted into a pocket in the garment, activates with magnets located inside the vest. It communicates with the app and GPS networks to track the athlete during training or a game, recording distance covered, sprint distance, pitch heat map and player load.
Made of high-performance textiles, the vest is comfortable and can be worn under or over a jersey. The smart pod easily fits in a pocket located at the base of the neck, an area of the body that receives minimum impact in competitive sports.
With the app, users can also access advice from top professional soccer coaches and sports scientists to provide individually tailored advice on preparation, performance and recovery. This enables athletes to benchmark themselves against professional players as well as compete against friends and peers. For more information, visit www.layerdesign.com.
