An AI-led smart sticker, introduced by Spektacom Technologies, could enable cricket stars to enhance and maximise their batting technique through data analysis. Founded by former Indian cricket captain, Anil Kumble, the star-up is supported by Microsoft and broadcast partner, Star India.

The Power Bat is based on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform, which uses AI and IoT technology, and it enables sports stars to take their game to the next level.

The lightweight, Azure Sphere-powered sticker is fixed to the Power Bat’s shoulder (the upper part of the bat’s face), so that as soon as the player strikes the ball with the bat, data on different parameters, such as speed on impact, twist on impact, power and quality of the shot, are recorded. Players can then use the Spektacom App to view their own scores in real-time and work towards improving batting techniques.

The sticker itself has similar dimensions to a credit card and weighs less than five grams, it can stick to any regular sized cricket bat and can be charged wirelessly using compatible wireless chargers. Although the technology has its first use case in cricket, this is the first of many sports where it could potentially be used.

This AI-led smart sticker provides advantages for players, as they can use the Spektacom App to analyse, compare and improve performance; for coaches, as the real-time modeling of shot behaviour helps provide more meaningful insights to sports stars performance; for broadcasters, as it offers a re-imagined fan engagement experience with all new parameters to measure batting quality; and for spectators, as they can understand the science of battling, follow favourite players and watch them grow.