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Responsive Sports
You know that carnival game where you hit a pad with a big sledgehammer to see if you can shoot a metal weight up a pole to ring a bell? In my world, that’s known as “the one game I avoid” at amusement parks, but for other, more burly types, strength-proving activities can actually be fun.
If you’re that type, you might want to check out a new set of “smart combat gloves” known as iPunch, that takes the principle of the strongman carnival game and applies it to boxing. The gloves, which are currently seeking funding on Indiegogo, have sensors in them that track how hard you punch and then deliver that information to an app on your iPhone or Android device via Bluetooth.
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According to Wired.com, the gloves have two types of sensors: an impact sensor and a three-axis motion sensor that work in concert to analyze the type of punches you throw, and their overall impact force.
You can track a training session yourself by reviewing the collected data when you’re done beating the stuffing out of a heavy bag (or out of your hands), or a coach can hold your smartphone and give you instant feedback as you’re pounding away. There are also training programs built into the app that tell you which types of punches to throw during a set period of time or that let you compete against a friend by throwing your three best punches and seeing who’s got more game.
Right now Responsive Sports, the developer of the gear, is offering the gloves in a mixed martial-arts style that’s lighter and less padded than traditional boxing gloves, but they say that boxing-style iPunches are on the horizon. That offers a great way to sound tough without actually needing to buy the things simply by telling your friends, “I’m waiting for the boxing gloves to come out, dude.”
Of course, if you actually are tough, early-bird gloves are available for $139 (roughly £81, AU$146) and after those 150 pairs are gone, the price goes up to $149 (roughly £87, AU$157).
