Athletes are constantly seeking innovative ways to enhance their performance and gain a competitive edge. One significant avenue for achieving this is through the development of electronics products tailored to the unique needs of athletes during training. This article delves into the pivotal role of responsive, miniature electronic devices in revolutionising sports training, offering athletes cutting-edge tools to elevate their performance.

The fast-paced nature of sports means that real-time data is crucial. Athletes and coaches alike benefit from instant insights into various performance metrics, enabling them to make informed decisions on the fly. Responsive devices, equipped with high-speed electronics and data processing capabilities, play an important role in monitoring key parameters such as heart rate or speed.

At ZT Prototypes, we’ve developed various sports devices which require real-time monitoring, not just in the form of wearable devices, but also points monitoring and scoring systems. We recently had the opportunity to work with SWYMLINE on an exciting new project - a wearable, Bluetooth motion tracker designed to help swimmers train from the comfort of their homes. Our role was to develop a proof-of-concept device that would demonstrate the functionality of the motion tracker and prove out the concept.

We started the prototyping stage by identifying potential processors, sensors and other chips for the electronics which met the requirements detailed in our specification and requirements lists. We considered factors such as power consumption, cost, and availability, as well as the specific technical specifications, such as the sensor’s sampling rate which correlates the resolution of the user’s in-game motion. For each of the potential major components we selected, we purchased off-the-shelf modules which allowed us to evaluate their suitability for the design, before creating a custom PCB for the initial proof of concept.