The Internet of Things invades Wimbledon

Novak Djokovic of Serbia reacts during his match against Kevin Anderson of South Africa at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, July 6, 2015.REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett

The historic Wimbledon tennis tournament in London is taking advantage of the Internet of Things (IoT) in 2016.

The tournament, one of four major events in pro tennis, will use two IoT solutions this year, reports Gemalto.

Connected cameras will take pictures of the facial expressions of spectators at the event and will send those photos to IBM’s Watson, which will then analyze the pictures to determine which players the fans prefer. Wimbledon wants to use this information to more effectively market its merchandise and sell tickets.

Players, meanwhile, will use connected tennis rackets with built-in sensors that will collect data on swing velocity and angles, as well as the player’s overall performance. The players can immediately access this information through an app that analyzes the data and offers recommendations on how to improve their game.

Sports is actually a rapidly growing area of IoT adoption, as Wimbledon is not the first sports organization to use it. Last fall, Wilson released a connected basketball, and Russell Brands LLC made a bid last week for a bankrupt startup that provides information about a player’s ability to handle the basketball.

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