Basketball: U.S. equipment manufacturer, Wilson, launches "Smart Ball"

American company Wilson Sporting Goods unveiled the "Smart ball," a connected basketball, on 05/04/2014. This ball is being developed in partnership with SportIQ, a Finnish company specialising in artificial intelligence.

There are sensors inside the ball that track its movements. It is connected to a smartphone application that gives the user an indication of the ball's activities (distance or area of shot, success rate, number of points ...).

"This intelligent basketball brings a unique approach to training through real-time statistic generation delivered to a smart device. The opportunities for individual and coach-directed training are truly unlimited", said Alan Davenport, global director of basketball for Wilson.

Wilson (part of Amer Sports), which celebrates its centenary in 2014, also wants to extend this innovation to other sports. "We’re excited by the roadmap ahead and feel that we can change the way that sport is approached", said Tom Gruger, vice-president for digital at Wilson.

• The ball will be available beginning in winter 2014. 
  • Wilson wants to market the smart…