Miami Hurricanes using military technology to track team’s fitness

The Hurricanes are employing know-how made for the military services to consider to attain an edge on their opponents.

Miami’s football crew is working with an superior conditioning tracker known as the Warfighter Keep track of, developed by protection contractor Tiger Tech Methods, to monitor their players’ exercise routines this spring and summer season.

“It’s a exceptional possibility,” claimed Eric Renaghan, Miami’s director of sports science. “We’re the only sporting activities corporation in the state that has obtain to this technological innovation, so it puts us in a incredibly distinctive situation where we have a competitive edge about any other crew in the county suitable now.”

Renaghan stated the monitor, which UM gamers wear on their arms, appealed to him in section since it has a single-guide electrocardiogram, which separates it from other wearable physical fitness screens like Apple Watches and Fitbits. The observe also collects information on respiration level, system temperature and pulse oximetry.

“An Apple Watch, you can access your hand on the other side and contact the look at and get an electrocardiogram,” Tiger Tech Solutions CEO Harrison Wittels said. “We’re basically the initial device in the earth that can do that from a solitary limb. Why that is important is because that is the only way to get precise coronary heart charge.”

Wittels is a Miami native, so when the prospect to get the job done with the Hurricanes arose, he jumped at it.

“When I was in superior faculty, there was no superior group in the state,” Wittels stated. “I’m fairly guaranteed the University of Miami Hurricanes group would’ve conquer most pro teams. … It is a storied franchise. It carries as substantially mystique with it as some professional franchises, to be straightforward. So it’s further than interesting.”

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The Hurricanes are the only athletics workforce — college or university or expert — presently utilizing the Warfighter Keep track of.

“Miami’s my hometown and it was just a good option to work together,” Wittels explained. “We had a ton of other chances, to be genuine, but it was just type of in our backyard.”

Renaghan, who is UM’s 1st director of athletics science, reported the total of facts his office can pull from the monitors is “not even close” to knowledge offered from professional physical fitness trackers.

“I believe that the main distinction involving all those is the form of information that’s remaining pulled is instantly measured, as opposed to getting other metrics act as surrogates for what men and women cannot measure with some of all those parts of know-how,” Renaghan explained. “For us, being capable to pull these direct actions and definitely have accuracy as it relates to the response that our athletes are obtaining is pretty much a sport-changer for us.”

Miami is also using the overall body temperature information to ensure none of their players endure from heat exhaustion or heat stroke when performing out in hot, humid South Florida temperature.

“I feel one particular of the essential parts of info for us, particularly in Miami, getting how very hot and humid it is, is to prevent warmth injuries and be capable to appear at the human body temperature of the athlete and see how heart level is currently being impacted from the load,” Renaghan said. “[It] permits us to pull an athlete out if we need to have to, to make guaranteed that they don’t knowledge a warmth personal injury and I feel the large point for us is really making use of this information and facts to boost our conclusion-making course of action.”

Renaghan claimed Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal, strength and conditioning coach Aaron Feld and the relaxation of the UM personnel have been receptive to all the info his section has been accumulating. The info permits the Miami personnel to alter techniques and workouts to finest go well with players’ well being and growth.

“Those things that we’re getting from that information and facts are not accessible to any other team in the country,” Renaghan reported. “For us, as a workers, it is allowed us to genuinely establish the enhancements in our athletes, and for what we do, that’s the most vital point to genuinely see if our courses are carrying out what we envisioned them to do by measuring and it will allow us to make adjustments where we need to have to.”