The 2016 Rio Olympics will introduce several wearable devices that change the way athletes train, how we view events, how payments are made and how attendees protect themselves.
According to Network World, there is no shortage of tech at the 2016 Rio Olympics event. Athletes use various wearable gadgets to help them stay fit and train. From jump trackers worn by the volleyball team to heads-up displays used by cyclists, there are plenty of wearable gadgets that have made it this year to Rio.
U.S. cyclists are wearing a kind of Google Glass for athletes, called Solos smart glasses. The glasses come with a small heads-up display that shows various metrics such as cadence, pace, heart rate and distance.
Cyclists are helped in their training, as they know if they are moving at their projected pace thanks to the data that appears in real-time The Solo smart glasses also feature built-in headphones for a more pleasant training. On a full charge the wearable gadget can run for around six hours.
Athletes with the U.S. gymnastics team are using a device called the LumiWave's Infrared Light Therapy for treating minor joint and muscle. The device beams infrared light into body tissue via its eight "pods." The infrared light provides short-term pain relief by helping to increase blood flow.
The LumiWave's Infrared Light Therapy wearable device has already been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. U.S. gymnasts already have access to it now and for the general public the device is on pre-order starting at $449.
Wearables devices also provide analytics data to help athletes train. For instance, according to PCWorld, the U.S. women's volleyball team is using a device called the Vert Wearable Jump Monitor that tracks how far, how often and how high each player jumps. ,
According to MobileIDWorld, Visa is also testing out new wearable payment technologies at the Rio Olympics. The organizers have allowed the company to set up at Olympic venues about 4,000 NFC POS terminals. Compatible wearables have been distributed by Visa to athletes.
