Athletes can improve their performance and fans can be more engaged while watching sports, all with the help of technology.
That’s one takeaway from the first-ever collegiate sports technology hackathon held at the University of Oregon this weekend.
QuackCon invited students to come together at UO in Eugene, Ore. — where Nike founder Phil Knight graduated — and focus on creating ideas related to athletic enhancement and fan engagement.
A panel of judges, which included Olympic gold medalist Ashton Eaton and Warsaw Sports Marketing Director Whitney Wagoner, heard each group pitch their projects and ultimately picked three winning teams.
Coming in first place was “Shadow Trainer,” a pacing tool worn on a runner’s chest that projects an avatar to show pace information. In second place, “Wing Snap” helps runners protect their cleats when moving off the track or field. The third place group was “Game Grid,” a modular entertainment viewing console that streams personalized sports-related data in one place for an enhanced viewing experience.
You can see all the projects here.