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Sports Tech
April 2020

Is a Game Changer

Sensors collect data on athletes’

movement and health to help them
perform better and stay safe.

What’s Inside:
Whales Dive Deep on Two Heartbeats
Written by
Puerto Rico Rocked by Earthquakes Rhonda Lucas Donald

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SCIENCE in the NEWS April 2020

SOCCER PENALTY KICK DATA

The chart shows where one player scored, missed, or had shots
blocked during penalty kicks. A goalie can use this data to decide
how to defend the goal when that player is taking a penalty kick.

scored
missed
blocked

Using Data to Up Your Game

Athletes train hard to improve in their
Technology
sport. Practice and listening to the
coach are key aspects of training. Now, technology such as
sensors and apps can provide an even deeper understanding
of how to improve in sports. These tools look at patterns in
everything from a swimmer’s stroke to a soccer player’s foot
position. Here are just a few ways that technology and data
can be a game changer.
Higher, Farther, Faster
Training aids for soccer players could help you gain an
advantage. Slip a SockIt around your cleats, and it will light
up to let you know you’ve kicked the ball correctly. Proper
kicking technique can mean stronger kicks, better aim, and
more goals! There’s also a “smart” basketball called DribbleUp
that tracks your dribbling skills. It shows your data on a
smartphone app and provides targets so you know where
to bounce the ball for the best dribble.
Baseball players can use a variety of devices, including the
Rapsodo Hitting Unit and HitTrax. These tools record and
Credits: Front cover (main, right inset): © iStock.com/THEPALMER; front cover (left inset): © Pedro Portal/TNS/Newscom; page 2: © iStock.com/Joseph Calomeni
© Learning A–Z All rights reserved.
analyze a pitcher’s pitch and a batter’s swing. Which
movements lead to more strikes? What is the speed of the
ball leaving the bat? These are just some of the questions
that sports tech can answer. Similar technology can help
perfect a tennis player’s serve and a hockey player’s shot.
Wearable Tech
Some runners, swimmers, and other athletes wear sensors
that track distance and speed. Football players can put sensors
in their shoulder pads to determine how well they perform.
These sensors can help coaches decide on the best training
plan for athletes. Sensors can warn of possible injury when
athletes are overtired or when their muscles are stressed.
Data can show coaches how long it takes an athlete’s body to
recover from exercise. And having data on opponents’ patterns
can help teams prepare a winning strategy.
One goal in sports is to win. That isn’t going to happen every
time, but athletes can always improve. Technology is giving
them new ways to analyze their performance, stay healthy,
and generally up their game. It’s a win-win! v
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SCIENCE in the NEWS April 2020
This free-diving whale stayed
underwater for more than sixteen
minutes during its deepest dive.

Whales Dive Deep on Two Heartbeats

Life Science
Blue whales are the largest animals
known to have ever lived. Their
heart alone weighs as much as 180 kilograms (397 lb.).
Yet their heart rate can slow down dramatically.
Scientists used suction cups to attach a heart monitor to
a blue whale in Monterey Bay, California. They measured
the whale’s heart rate for nearly nine hours. During its
deepest dive for food, the whale’s heart slowed down
to just 2 beats per minute! The scientists had expected a
decrease to help the whale stay underwater longer
while diving. But this super-slow rate surprised them.
As the whale came to the surface to breathe, its heart
pumped much faster—up to 37 beats per minute—to
replenish the oxygen in its blood. The scientists think this
surface heart rate is about as fast as a blue whale’s heart
can possibly beat. This limit might explain why there are
no animals larger than blue whales. The heart could not
keep up! v

Puerto Rico Rocked by Earthquakes

Part of the Caribbean NORTH AMERICA On January 7, the US territory
Earth Science
Plate slides under of Puerto Rico faced its most
Puerto Rico. damaging earthquake since 1918. Hundreds of smaller
Puerto Rico quakes before and after the big one led scientists to
label the event an earthquake swarm. They predict
that frequent quakes may continue for up to ten years!
earthquake SOUTH AMERICA The island is at the boundary of two tectonic plates.
These huge slabs of Earth’s surface are scraping past
Puerto Rico
each other very gradually. One of the plates is also
slowly sliding underneath the other. This movement
of plates causes earthquakes, and Puerto Rico is caught
in the middle of the action.
The North American
Plate slides past the The main 6.4 magnitude earthquake destroyed hundreds
Caribbean Plate. of homes and left many people without water or power.
Caribbean It may take a year to fully restore electricity in some
Plate
North American places. Thousands of people had to move into shelters.
This diagram shows how
Plate Puerto Ricans are also still recovering from Hurricane
plates cause earthquakes
in Puerto Rico.
Maria, which hit in 2017. That strong storm took down
The North American Plate buildings and caused damaging floods. You can read
slides under the Caribbean Plate. about it in the January 2018 Science in the News. v
Article source: Whales: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2019) pp. 25329–25332
Credits: Top main: courtesy of Goldbogen Labs at Stanford University/Paolo Segre; top inset: Kurt Hickman/Stanford News Service
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