media release
Smartspeed™ Scoops the Prizes on and off the Field
November 1, 2003
Smartspeed™ - the world's first Coaching Automation Tool (C.A.T.) - has scooped the top prize in The University of Queensland Business School's $100,000 Enterprize competition.
Consisting of a series of coloured, flashing remote field sensors that track athletes during training and competition Smartspeed™ provides them with real-time visual and audio feedback on their performance.
"A new breed of elite Australian sports men and women could dominate future sporting events by using this system - in fact Smartspeed™ has the potential to change the way the world plays sport," its creator, Dr Markus Deutsch of Fusion Sport, said today.
"The system can be used to train and assess critical aspects of sports performance including speed, endurance and reaction time in all land-based sports.
"It helps coaches get the most out of their athletes, by giving them greater control over the training environment, and it gives athletes the opportunity to make decisions and manage their reactions based on the information provided.
"These are aspects of athletic performance that have never been trained before. The constant feedback and encouragement will really give athletes an edge - physically as well as mentally."
Dr Deutsch said he was delighted to win the Enterprize title, which recognises groundbreaking entrepreneurial discoveries.
"Winning Enterprize will unleash Fusion Sport in the coming months. Over the past year we have designed and built a fantastic product, and along the way we have identified some very talented students through our involvement with UQ. With these funds we will now have the resources we need to refine and improve Smartspeed™, and can move swiftly into the global sporting market."
The Queensland Academy of Sport and the Auckland Blues (Super 12 rugby team) have already committed to work closely with Dr Deutsch and his team to develop and refine Smartspeed™ in the future.
Dr Deutsch is also the inventor of a revolutionary scrum machine called The Grunt 3000 which has been used by the New Zealand All Blacks and England Rugby Union teams during their World Cup preparations.
Fusion Sport is a member of the Queensland Government's highly successful technology incubator, i.lab.
For more information contact Ann Lund at Media Affair on Phone 07 3300 0172, Mobile 0414 612 324, e-mail ann.lund@mediaffair.com.au.