Sports has long been a proving ground and frontier for more accurate and faster technology. High-priced athletes and the teams they play for need results quickly to get the superstars back onto the playing field. The same is also true for high school and college athletes to some extent.
In the United States, baseball, basketball, football and hockey bring in billions of dollars in revenue from ticket sales and ad revenue annually. In order to keep the cash flowing, team owners and physicians are always on the lookout for ways in which technology can keep the players healthy or restore their health more quickly.
Three dimensional technology has been a game changer in the sports arena. Equipment, medicine and broadcasting have benefited from the 3D technology improvements and help the viewer enjoy their favorite sports.
Three dimensional printing, also known as “additive manufacturing” is used to develop synthetic materials as a way to automatically construct any shape that a human brain can imagine. The device looks like a standard copy machine, but is capable of outputting three dimensional objects rather than just two dimensional ones.
The additive manufacturing process is making an impact in the sports field by manufacturing customized 3D equipment for athletes. Players have worn 3D manufactured jerseys and even 3D printed shoes.
In broadcasting, three dimensional technology has proven beneficial when 3D cameras record games and transmit them to a stereoscopic 3D television as a way to give viewers the most immersive experience possible. The technology also tracks baseball pitches and strikes and in the NHL it has been used as the digital “blue tail” seen on television to track the puck on the ice.
Three dimensional technology has made its way into sports injury diagnosis. In the past physicians had to rely on x-rays and MRIs to get a glimpse into what was going on inside an athlete’s joints and muscles. With three dimensional imaging using lenses custom designed for the technology, doctors can delve deeper into the injury and formulate better treatment methods for them. The technology can also be used to create materials that the physicians need to treat the injured athlete.
The way we view sports and the ways in which injured athletes get treated for injuries will certainly continue to evolve.
Universe Kogaku designs and manufactures optical lenses for this type of medical technology. In addition, we supply lenses for industrial, medical, high tech and electronic applications. We also carry standard and custom lens assemblies for scanners, CCTV, CCD/CMOS, medical imaging, surveillance systems, machine vision and night vision systems.