What Is in the Adidas Smart Ball?

The adidas Smart Ball's release culminates three years of development, and comes in the wake of a growing debate on the role of technology in football, or soccer in the United States. The ball has built-in sensors and other technology to measure and analyze its speed, movement and the forces acting on it, while also relaying real time reports on the same to you.

  1. Suspension System

    • The ball contains 12 anchor points held in place with stiff but flexible Kevlar loops that sprout out from the inner sensor pit to the ball's surface. The anchors allow the ball to withstand hard kicks and collisions, while also transmitting impact information from the surface to the system of sensors. The surface contains 32 thermally bonded panels in common with regular adidas balls, so the Smart Ball will fly as aerodynamically as a standard ball. Markings on the ball’s surface show players where to kick the ball to produce the desired performance.

    Sensor Pit

    • The ball's sensors are contained in a golf ball-sized pit, centrally suspended inside the rubber bladder. The pit contains a magnetometer and an accelerometer that feed data to algorithms, which in turn measure or calculate the forces acting on the ball while in flight, including the bend, speed, impact location, spin axis, spin rate as well as the kick’s trajectory. The data is fed to an iPhone app, which accompanies the ball using Bluetooth.

    Battery and Charging Coil

    • The electronics contained in the ball naturally require power. The ball has an interior battery, which is light enough to ensure the ball meets FIFA’s weight and performance standards. The ball comes with an external induction coil used to create an alternating electromagnetic field. The field transfers energy to the charging coil inside the ball, which converts it into electricity. The current is in turn used to charge the ball’s battery.

    miCoach App

    • The miCoach app itself is not inside the ball, but the iPhone app communicates with the internal electronics to allow the ball to realize its full potential. The ball sends information to the app, which can visualize and forecast the ball’s complete path even if you ram it into a wall. Android and other apps are possible in the future. The Smart Ball app includes four key sections. The “Kick it” mode provides an analysis of the ball’s speed, impact location, trajectory and bend. The “Get better” mode focuses on the kicking improvement and offers real-time analysis and feedback to move the user from basic ball-handling and spin kicks to intricate bends. The “Challenges" mode analyzes a kick's power, trajectory and accuracy. Finally, the “Record Book” saves a daily list of the 10 best kicks and suggests possible improvements.