Bengaluru’s tech link to ICC Champions Trophy

BatSense technology, which made its debut in cricket in the tourney, is a product of a city-based startup

The Indian cricket team may or may not lift the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, but an Indian connect will remain throughout the tournament.

The “BatSense” technology, which made its debut in cricket in the ongoing tournament, is in fact a product of a Bengaluru-based startup that has tied up with Intel as its technology partner.

The tiny device — said to be the size of a ₹5 coin and inserted in the bat handle in a sleeve — helps capture and record vital details such as the number of balls played, bat lift angle, maximum bat speed, and follow through angle, among others.

Touted to be a first-of-its-kind device, the makers say it enables real-time data which could enable analysis at later dates by players and coaches.

Three parts

Sri Harsha K., Chief Technology Officer of Speculur — the sports technology startup that made BatSense, said the device has three parts to it — a bat sleeve, the BatSense device, and an application that later allows recorded information to be utilised.

“A cricketer inserts the sleeve into the bat and mounts the device onto it. This device contains the Intel Curie processor. It records all the actions when in play (not when idle i.e., when the bat comes into contact with the ball), which are stored in the device. This will play out in an avatar form on the application which works on any Android or iOS device, connected to the device via Bluetooth,” he said. The battery in the device is designed for three to three-and-a-half hours of play and is protected by a silicon rubber sleeve.

“We researched for eight months before presenting it to the International Cricket Council, which did a preliminary check of the technology before using it in the tournament,” Mr. Harsha added.