Silicon Valley sports tech company, TuringSense, launched PIVOT yesterday promoting the advanced wearable technology for tennis players. The PIVOT technology uses a pack of wearable sensors attached to different areas of the body or clothing as opposed to a single sensor on a tennis racquet. TuringSense believes this technology will finally put one of the oldest sports back in the running with other sports who have been quickly adopting technology.
With PIVOT, TuringSense aims to provide instant biomechanical feedback so tennis players can improve their swings and prevent injuries. The PIVOT technology incorporates coaching knowledge from Hall of Fame coach, Nick Bollettieri, who has coached 10 #1-ranked players.
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“I was passionate about using technology to help players be injury free after sustaining numerous injuries as an advanced tennis player,” said Dr. Joe Chamdani, co-founder, CTO and college player (level 5.5). “With a great team, many who are also advanced athletes, and tenacity and hard work, we created PIVOT. Its motion capture, analysis and 3D capabilities let trainers stop at-risk moves, preventing injuries.”
Useful features of PIVOT include high-speed 360-degree full body motion capture and advanced biomechanical analysis. Players will be able to analyze their footwork, body position, elbow bend, knee bend, and more. The technology alerts players of improper technique to prevent patterns that cause chronic injuries. The wireless technology provides real-time feedback instantly anywhere, anytime.
TuringSense’s Indiegogo campaign hopes to raise $75,000 to begin the launch of PIVOT through a crowd funding campaign. This comes shortly after the company raised $3 million in investment$3 million in investment from three companies from China and one American group.
According to Dr. Limin, co-founder and CEO of TuringSense,“We have three main reasons for leveraging Indiegogo to launch PIVOT. First, while our seed funding helps us accelerate product development, crowdfunding ensures we can keep PIVOT affordable, contribute to its mass production and allows us to donate products to tennis foundations. Second, leveraging Indiegogo as a marketing platform – we’re excited to unveil PIVOT to Indiegogo’s 16 million unique visitors and its two million newsletter subscribers. As PIVOT is tennis-specific, we believe this very popular platform will help us reach wider audiences beyond serious tennis players. Third, the level of support we receive on Indiegogo can also help us gauge demand, and give us a more accurate snapshot on the number of units to produce during our first manufacturing round.”
Some incentives for early backers and tennis enthusiasts to join the campaign are a week of training and a personal lesson with Bollettieri as well getting the PIVOT Challenger Pack with a 38% discount at $249.
TuringSense is also focused on giving back to the community. The company plans to donate to the USTA Foundation each time a goal is reached. The foundation helps serve dreams for under-resourced youths, veterans, and ill individual through tennis education.
“Our academy is excited about PIVOT,” said Richard Tompkins, owner of Tompkins Tennis International. “By identifying corrective actions, PIVOT helps improve technique and prevent injuries for players at all levels. Regardless of skill, PIVOT will help take your game to the next level. It’s truly a game changer!”