Innovation of the week

“When learning how to be good at something like basketball, you need good feedback and suggestions based on how you perform,” said Rob LeFebvre inCultofMac.com. Unfortunately, unlearning poor shooting form is easier said than done. That’s where the “smart” basketball from a company called 94Fifty comes in. It looks and feels like a regulation ball, but inside are nine motion-tracking sensors that catalog useful metrics like dribble force, arc, backspin, and ball speed. All that data is beamed to a smartphone app, which instantly tells you exactly what you’re doing, allowing you to get to work on programming your muscle memory for success. It’s like having your own personal shooting coach to track your progress over time and program your drills. The 94Fifty ball isn’t exactly cheap at $295, but that might be a reasonable price to pay for a lifetime of rec league dominance.