Sports training has always been more of an art than a science. It’s hard to collect good, reliable information on what happens in the fraction of a second that makes the difference between a winner and a runner-up. Smart devices are changing that. These wearable machines can test and analyze many data points, thousands of times per second. This allows trainers and amateurs alike to build up a useful picture of their performance.

To gain some insight into this new world of smart devices, John Furrier and Dave Vellante, cohosts of theCUBE, from the SiliconANGLE Media team, talked with Randy Bergstedt, group product manager of smart wearables at Epson America, Inc., during the IBM InterConnect 2016 conference.

Improving your game

Bergstedt came to the table with Epson’s latest wearable, the M-Tracer Golf Swing Analyzer. This device collects data in the wearer’s golf swing and impact with the ball. Bergstedt said that instructors often find it difficult to communicate the details to their students, so a device like the M-Tracer becomes a very helpful tool. It can illustrate exactly what a golfer is doing, and so it can kickstart the learning process.

Epson has made high-end motion sensors for a long time, Bergstedt explained, but only by leveraging the power and storage of smart devices has the company been able to make these products affordable for consumer wearables. “The challenge we face is the amount of information and translating that into meaningful insight,” he said.

Translations and connections

Wearables like the M-Tracer raise obvious questions for computer gaming and virtual reality. Bergstedt replied that Epson does make projectors for golf simulators, and while the first place for these devices is more instruction-oriented, gaming is an obvious extension.

Right now, Bergstedt said, Epson was listening to customer feedback and building wearables for other sports like running. The M-Tracer, he mentioned, has been used to solve arguments and to see what’s really happening in a golfer’s swing. As for other sports, Bergstedt said the company is considering those where people are looking to improve their game and are willing to spend the money to make that happen.

Watch the full interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE and theCUBE’s coverage of IBM InterConnect 2016. And join in on the conversation by CrowdChatting with theCUBE hosts.

Photo by SiliconANGLE