During CES 2014, Sony showed off its Smart Tennis Sensor. Designed to be stuck inside the bud of a tennis racket, the sensor is capable of detecting your:

• Shot count
• Impact position
• Swing type
• Swing speed
• Ball speed
• Spin rate

While only shown off on Android, today Sony revealed that they will be releasing the sensor with a compatible iOS and Android app upon launch. Sony thinks that these types of sensors are a natural extension of the wearable gadget era and boom that we’re about to enter and they want to be there from the start. The video below gives you an example of the sensor’s functionality and speed.

Fittingly announced at a tennis club near its Shinagawa HQ, the Sony Smart Tennis Sensor will go on sale this May with a 18,000 yen ($175) price tag. Sony has so far only confirmed their home country for launch, though they will likely come to other countries in the months to follow. Along with the SmartBand, Sony has made it clear that they don’t want to pass on this trend and the fact that the Smart Tennis Sensor is coming to market so quickly after CES is a testament to that. Once released, the sensor will be compatible with around six Yonex EZone and VCore tennis rackets with more racket options coming the future. While the sensor design is the same, each racket requires a unique housing for the sensor which explains the gradual rollout.

As our above video shows, the Sony Smart Tennis Sensor is able to capture quite a bit of data with live updates, making the device the perfect companion for those who take tennis seriously. It’s expected that Sony will expand their sensor program to other sports though no specifics were talked about.

Discuss:

Do you see a market for the Sony Smart Tennis Sensor?