The Internet Of Things Technology In The Velodrome: Team USA Cycling

By Rod Smith, IBM

Collecting data is not a new phenomenon in the sports world. What has changed is how that data is collected and analyzed.

As technology has advanced and evolved, the process of collecting data for elite athletes has been streamlined — going from hours to seconds — and we have access to new levels of detail not possible before, thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT) and the cloud.

For example, thanks to non-invasive muscle oxygenation sensors, we can better analyze energy consumption and recovery. By connecting multiple sensors and devices to the cloud, we can have instant access to training data. And by taking advantage of cognitive systems, such as the Watson IoT platform on the IBM Cloud, we can take that obscure data and draw meaningful insights.

Team USA Cycling and the IoT

For the past year, IBM has worked with the USA Cycling Women’s Team Pursuit coaches and athletes to use cognitive and cloud technology to take their training data to the next level.