An interaction between a ball and a smartphone is truly a big leap into the future of technology and Adidas is one of the first to tap into this technology. Online technology magazine, CNet has recently reviewed the Adidas miCoach Smart Ball, a ball that is geared to improve a player's ability drastically through the use of a smart ball and a phone.
Adidas miCoach is a practice ball to begin with, it is not a ball intended for playing. The ball uses Bluetooth sensors suspended inside and gives feedback on the kick's speed, spin, and curve through its iOS-only app. With this, the coach, trainer, or player can now see significant details for correcting their plays.
The ball is standard in size and has 32 panels, same as the ball that FIFA is using, but heavier due to the 12 Bluetooth sensors packed inside. The charging system is not as tricky as a car engine. You only need to match the marking on the ball to the panel charger. You would know you're doing the right thing if the green light is blinking and it looks like a trophy in your cabinet. Once it is fully charged, the Adidas miCoach is expected to last 2,000 kicks or just under a week while on standby.
According to Adidas, the miCoach is made of PU, Butyl bladder that will keep the ball tough as nails. The sensors inside are Tri-axial accelerometer and the Bluetooth sensors are ranged at 4.0 2,4 GHz. The battery that powers the newest Adidas technology is lithium Ion Polymer rechargeable battery with a charging time of 1h through an induction charging stand. The size of the ball is 22cm in diameter and 445 grams heavy. The ball for now is exclusive at the moment to run via iOS but is on the works to suite Android users.
The Adidas miCoach might be very handy for practice but is also ridiculously priced at $200, which is 100 folds expensive compared to the regular practice ball.
