KINEXON
An ultra-wideband real-time location system used both in sports and industrial settings
KINEXON does real-time location (RTLS): using ultra-wideband signals to precisely locate people, balls, and machines to centimeter level. On the field, it's the player- and ball-tracking technology of the NBA and NFL; in factories, it's used to track materials and AGVs.
Features and use scenarios
Sensors can be mounted on players' protective gear, balls, or carts, working with venue base stations to feed back coordinates in real time, with latency low enough to support real-time applications. On the sports side, derived data includes running speed, acceleration, ball speed, and formation changes; on the industrial side, it's used for production-line logistics tracking and safety management. Founded in Munich, Germany, the two product lines share the same location core.
It suits professional sports leagues and teams, and manufacturing and warehousing needing fine logistics positioning. Taiwan's manufacturing actually has higher interest in RTLS than the sports world; if you're evaluating material tracking for a smart factory, this is another entry into the same kind of technology.
Main features
- Ultra-wideband centimeter-level real-time location
- Simultaneous player and ball tracking
- Low-latency real-time data streaming
- Industrial material and vehicle tracking
- Sports performance and formation analysis
Common uses
- Professional-team player tracking
- Indoor-sports formation analysis
- Factory material real-time location
- Warehouse vehicle management
Key Features
- Ultra-wideband centimeter-level real-time location
- Simultaneous player and ball tracking
- Low-latency real-time data streaming
- Industrial material and vehicle tracking
- Sports performance and formation analysis
Pros
- High positioning precision, unaffected even indoors
- Same technology spans sports and industrial applications
- Battle-tested in professional leagues
Cons
- Requires deploying base-station hardware at the venue
- Sensors must be worn; player acceptance needs communication
- Enterprise-grade projects with long adoption cycles
Use Cases
- Professional-team player tracking
- Indoor-sports formation analysis
- Factory material real-time location
- Warehouse vehicle management
Editor's Note
The same positioning technology can compute an NBA player's running distance and manage a factory's carts. The technology itself has no industry boundary — the boundary is who thinks of it first.
FAQ
How does it differ from GPS tracking?
GPS is nearly unusable indoors and has meter-level precision. Ultra-wideband positioning relies on venue base stations and can reach centimeter level indoors, at the cost of having to deploy hardware first.
Do sensors on players affect their movement?
The sensors are small, mostly embedded in protective gear or jersey linings, and have been used long-term in professional leagues. But in practice you still need to discuss placement with players to avoid a foreign-object feeling affecting performance during matches.