Want to improve your dead-kick technique but find that a regular old ball simply doesn’t cut it? Adidas and Apple have revealed a connected soccer ball, the Adidas miCoach Smart Ball. This nifty little gadget is equipped with a host of technology that allows it to provide instant feedback on power, trajectory, spin, and strike accuracy of each and every kick. The app-enabled ball has a number of integrated sensors, and still manages to retain the standard weight and feel of a regulation ball. Pretty sweet, right?
The Adidas miCoach Smart Ball gathers information with internal sensors and sends this data immediately to a connected smartphone via Bluetooth. The app included with the ball allows you to analyze your kicking performance, providing you with tips on how to improve your game. You’ll also have access to a bunch of tutorials and challenges – you can attempt to replicate the kicks of the world’s best soccer players, and save your best kicks each day in order to track your performance. Last but certainly not least, you can compare your kicks to those of your friends, adding a nice bit of competition to the gadget (and presumably, better motivation to improve your game – bragging rights and all that).
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Presently, the Adidas miCoach Smart Ball is iOS only. Those of you with Android devices are out of luck until Adidas (or a competitor) rolls out an Android-enabled alternative. We’re not keeping our fingers crossed about an Adidas smart ball for Android though, they seem to be all sewn up with Apple.
With all the technology that surrounds us each and every day, it’s nice to see that there are at least a few gadgets devoted to making their users more fit. The Adidas miCoach Smart Ball retails at $299.95. It might be just what you need to improve your game.
Adidas miCoach Smart Ball | Gallery
