A 2024 study unveiled a self-powered intelligent racket
When I first picked up a Yonex Nanoflare, I thought, “How much more tech can a racket even have?” But then I looked around at smartwatches, smart shoes, even smart water bottles, and it got me thinking: why not a smart badminton racket?
My curiosity grew stronger when I learned that the Yonex Nanoflare 1000Z helped Satwiksairaj Rankireddy smash a shuttle at a record-breaking 565 km/h in 2023, shattering a decade-old mark of 493 km/h by Tan Boon Heong from 2013.
Badminton is a sport built on speed, precision, and fine margins, the kind where even a slight edge can make a difference. If other sports are already using tech to measure and improve performance, it’s only a matter of time before badminton catches up.
Imagine a racket that does more than just smash and defend. Here’s how the future of badminton gear might look.
1. Real-Time Shot Tracking
We already have apps that track running steps. A smart racket could do the same for badminton, record smash speeds, rally counts, shot types, and even your sweet spot accuracy. After a game, you’d know exactly how many smashes you hit and how powerful they were. No more guessing.
2. AI-Powered Coaching
Think about this: your racket paired with your phone, giving instant feedback like “your clears are falling short” or “your backhand grip slipped.” It’s like having a coach sitting inside the racket, analyzing your game while you play.
3. Injury Prevention
Badminton is fast, but injuries are common – wrist strains, shoulder problems, and knee pain. A smart racket could warn you when your technique is putting too much stress on your joints. Over time, that data might save a lot of players from long breaks due to injuries.
4. Player vs Player Data Battles
Imagine playing with friends, and after the game, you get a stat sheet comparing you both, who had the fastest smash, longest rally, and most net kills. Bragging rights would suddenly have actual numbers to back them up.
5. Integration with Smart Gear
Pair it with a smart shuttle feeder or AR glasses, and training could go to a whole new level. Rackets, shoes, shuttles, all connected. That’s the dream for the next generation of badminton gear.
Have Any Companies Tried This Before?
Yes, some real attempts have already been made, which shows that the idea of a smart badminton racket is not just a fantasy. In Taiwan in 2020, researchers worked with Victor Rackets to test a system that had motion sensors, cameras, and even a brainwave monitor in goggles. The data was sent to the cloud so that coaches could study player movements and performance in real time.
In India, a class 12 student from Meerut built an IoT-based prototype using an Arduino board and motion sensors on a racket to measure shot speed and movements. Players could later review the numbers to improve their game.
More recently, in 2024, a group of scientists came up with a self-powered intelligent racket that uses special materials on the strings and grip to collect energy while playing. It can detect where the shuttle hit the racket and how the grip was held, then transmit the data wirelessly without even needing a battery.
Other Sports
Other sports have already moved in this direction. Tennis players use rackets with built-in sensors to track swing speed and ball impact, while cricket has experimented with smart bats that record shot power and angles. Even footballers now train with sensor-equipped balls. Badminton has been slower to adopt this technology, but looking at how these sports embraced it, smart rackets could soon become just as normal.
The Catch
Of course, there are issues. Adding electronics will make the racket heavier. Players are very sensitive about weight, so even a few grams could be a problem. Then there is the cost. Would you pay $500 or more for a racket? And what if it breaks after one clash? Will the sensors survive?
Still, just like smartwatches became normal, smart rackets could be the future. Maybe not tomorrow, but sooner than we think.
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