Wilson X released the Connected Basketball last year, and the company is planning to expand its smart products family next month. The company announced an intelligent football that can analyze the effectiveness of a throw. It is called the Connected Football, and it will help players to measure how good they really are.
Wilson marked the start of the advertisement pre-season that lasts months until the NFL season is over. The company gave a sneak peek at the Super Bowl this year. The spokesperson said the connected football helped players to improve their throwing.
The company will release a couple of videos which Wilson’s X advisory staff, Russel Wilson, will star. The Seattle Seahawks quarterback will explain how the connected football works in the tutorial series.
A spokesperson for Wilson said the marketing campaign would be very aggressive covering all from social media to console advertising.
The smart football comes with a wristband and a phone app
The ball is like any other football on the outside, but on the inside, it has Bluetooth technology, an accelerometer and sensor battery that last for about 500 hours, or an estimated of 200,000 throws.
The ball comes with a wristband, and the user needs to download a smartphone app. The ball connects to both the phone and the wristband via Bluetooth which means all the three gadgets need to be close for it to work. The distance will depend on the receptor and the smartphone.
The wristband goes on the non-throwing arm, and the app keeps track on the distance the ball travels, the speed, the spin rate, the spiral efficiency, and if someone catches it. Like any other app nowadays, the scores can be shared on social media.
The app will be available for Android and iOS for free, and it can be used to put two quarterbacks against each other and show them which one of them has the most efficient technique.
Wilson X says Golf and Baseball are next
The smart ball is already available for pre-order at a price of $200, and the first 100 people that take the pre-sale offer will get a copy of Madden NFL 17 for PS4 or Xbox One. There is also a junior size version for young people, and it has the same prize tag.
Last year, Wilson X launched the Connected Basketball. It collects data on throws quantity, baskets, distance and more. It also costs $200, and it seems to be part of a larger family. Wilson is already working on other smart balls. Golf and baseball are its next targets.
“FOR SPORTS TO CONTINUE TO BE REWARDING AND ENJOYABLE, WE HAVE TO REIMAGINE HOW THEY’RE PLAYED,” said the Wilson spokesperson.
Source: Wilson