Sports

Japan's Riken develops ultra-thin sensor with potential sports applications

Sep 29 (News On Japan) - A research team in Japan says it has developed an ultra-thin wearable sensor, which they hope will have applications for sports and other fields.

Members of the team at the Riken institute say the elastic and durable sensor is only about one-200th of a millimeter thick.

The sensor, powered by a battery and connected to a communication device, is attached to a person's fingertip. When the person throws a ball, the sensor can measure changes in the shape of the fingertip.

The researchers say they have confirmed that strong force is applied to the fingertip about one-tenth of a second before the ball is released.

They hope to develop a more precise and durable sensor that could be applied to sports. The potential applications include collecting data on professional baseball pitchers.

Team member Lee Sunghoon says the sensor can withstand great friction and force. He says he wants to measure the fingers of Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Ohtani Shohei someday.

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