Meet the wearable for aspiring Cam Newtons and Tom Bradys
Biomechanical data analysts turned wearable tech makers Motus Global has officially unveiled the motusQB, a smart compression sleeve that aims to prevent quarterbacks picking up injuries on the football field.
Following the launch of its smart sleeve and Pro full body sensor setup for baseball players and coaches, the football-centric QB packs in similar 3D sensors including gyroscopes and accelerometers, which are embedded into the arm sleeve or an arm band and is worn throughout throwing activity.
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The sensors then record raw 3D movement data, which is sent to a smartphone (iOS only) companion app via Bluetooth during or after a training session. From there you’ll be able to view a host of biomechanical metrics including total throws, high effort throws, arm speed and shoulder rotation.
The aim is to provide advanced analytics centred around acute and chronic elbow workload trends measuring the amount of stress placed on the elbow. Over time, coaches and players will be warned when acute workloads become chronic workloads and training regimes can be adjusted. There’s a host of other analytic tools available through a desktop app that also includes video analysis.
It’s already been put to the test with quarterbacks at the University of Oregon where it has been used during practice to help identify trends and manage workloads in real-time.
“Motus is an important tool in our toolbox; specifically for measurement of throwing load in our quarterbacks,” said Andrew Murray, director of performance and sports science at the University of Oregon. “To be able to objectively quantify the volume and intensity with minimal intervention is helping us promote data driven decision making in our athlete management.”
The QB should packs in a battery that’s good enough for up to 8 hours of use with enough onboard storage to record a maximum of 450 throws.
If you want to get a motusQB, it’s available to buy now from the Motus website for $150, so it’s priced the same as the baseball setup. That’ll get you one sensor and one compression sleeve.
It’ll be interesting to see if the wearable is accepted by the NFL in the same way that the baseball version was by the MLB who approved the use of the smart sleeve during games for the first time this year.