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FRIDAY RANDOMS: Technology in BMX

It’s 2016 and technology has come a very long way since I was a child. BMX has changed a hell of a lot too since I started riding many years ago. You may be thinking to yourself “Where the hell is he going with this?” Well… I’ve noticed recently that a few top companies in the technology industry such as Intel & have been kitting out riders with motion detection software, so essentially they’re combining BMX with Technology and for good reasons too…

So here are a few awesome innovations in technology involving BMX I’ve come across while searching t’interweb for this week’s FRIDAY RANDOMS feature! Enjoy…

Intel.

Intel recently demonstrated via Intel CEO Brian Krzanich its capabilities by equipping BMXers with tracking sensors and analytics software for a live demo at a big tech show in Las Vegas this year (2016 International CES).

The show was pretty standard, usual tricks you’d expect to see as the riders rode across the stage. On a huge screen, you could see the real-time analytics of the rider’s movements, such as how high they jumped and various other stats.

The most exciting news is that the same technology will be used in the 2016 X Games in Aspen, Colorado on Jan 28.

The bikes use Intel Curie chips, which enable applications for Internet of Things (in which everyday objects become smart and connected). Curie is sampling now and will go on sale soon for less than $10, Krzanich said.

BMX – Team GB.

Yep, that’s right! Team GB will be using technology used in Drones to help them “fly faster” – Manufacturing giant BAE Systems will be using their technology to help track their race trajectories and shave crucial seconds off their race times to improve performance.

Drone technology developed to stop unmanned aircraft crashing and colliding is now being used by Britain’s BMX team to perfect their flights over jumps.
The team is using optical sensor technology developed for a “sense and avoid” system that could one day be used in a pilotless airliner.
BMX racers can spend up to 40 per cent of each race in the air and believe that by perfecting their flight path they can shave crucial fractions of a second off race times

Hucker – Blast Motion

I caught wind of this last year and thought it was pretty cool… Mike “Hucker” Clark was chosen to be the Action Sports Ambassador for Blast Motion who are “an industry innovator focused on redefining the digital experience with its wearable motion capture technologies” – To put it plainly, they make a bunch of cool tech gadgets to monitor/capture the motions athletes put themselves through. Personally I think Hucker is a brilliant choice of an ambassador, the guy absolutely sends-it no matter what and has a great personality.

Blast Motion, an industry innovator focused on redefining the digital experience with its wearable motion capture technologies, today announced its most recent action sports ambassador, pro BMX dirt rider Mike “Hucker” Clark. He will be using the Blast Action Replay product during his rides and in competitions to capture, analyze and share metric infused video highlights with his social media followers.

IDDO BMX SENSOR.

This was IDDO BMX Sensor is a piece of kit I was very interested in last year when I saw the kickstarter campaign online. I’ve seen many motion tracking devices online but this one is the only BMX-Specific sensor I’ve seen. Not gonna lie, I was pretty gutted to see they didn’t reach the target they were hoping for but the campaign is due to be re-launched very soon so fingers crossed!

iDDO, Improve Your Game

The Ultimate Training Device.
Capture Real Life Sports.
Into a Virtual 3D World.

Trace – Action Sports Motion Tracker + App

Here’s another cool motion tracker I’ve found, TRACE is quite similar to the IDDO but not as BMX specific. I guess this gadget could easily be used for BMX if skaters are using the technology so this is probably worth a look too!

TRACE IS A SMALL, LIGHT, AND DURABLE, YET INCREDIBLY ADVANCED PIECE OF ACTION SPORTS TECHNOLOGY.

IT COMBINES THE MOST ADVANCED INERTIAL SENSORS AND GPS TECHNOLOGY TO GIVE YOU DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT EVERY SESSION YOU HAVE.

TRACE CAN IDENTIFY A TRE-FLIP DOWN 10 STAIRS, DETAIL EVERY TURN ON A 100-YARD RINCON RIGHT, AND MEASURE A BACKFLIP OFF A 20-FOOT KICKER AT MAMMOTH.