Performance

Being a college lecturer – or at least, being a good one – involves more than just speaking at a podium. You also have to engage the students, and a new dual-camera system is designed to assess just how well instructors are doing so.

​Competitive swimmers certainly like to track their performance, often using devices such as swim watches – the problem is, the athletes have to stop to look at those things. A Vancouver-based startup is out to address that problem, with its head-up display (HUD) Form Swim Goggles.

​Ordinarily, when employers wish to assess the performance of employees, they have them fill out questionnaires or take part in interviews. A new (and perhaps somewhat Orwellian) system is claimed to be more objective and thus more accurate, however, by utilizing smartphones and fitness trackers.

A study has found increased volumes of a certain species of gut bacteria in marathon runners following the completion of an event. This species was found to metabolize exercise-induced lactate into propionate, a compound that may increase exercise capacity.

Many mountain bikers already use smartphone apps to track basic ride metrics such as route/distance travelled, elevation gain, and speed. A group of four Danish cyclists wanted to take things significantly further, however, so they created TrailSense.

​There are already swim-tracking wearables such as watches, that track data such as the number of lengths swum. TritonWear is taking things further, however, with its just-announced Triton 2 – the device tracks 13 swimming metrics at once, transmitting data in real time for performance analysis.

Asus has revealed a new ZenBook featuring a touchscreen display in place of the mouse trackpad. The ScreenPad offers professionals a configurable toolbar and app launcher within an extended display module that doubles as a traditional mouse cursor control.

Dyson digital motors, vacuum cleaners, air purifiers and bladeless fans have been stripped down, mashed up and merged with other instruments to produce notes and harmonies that will accompany the Orion Orchestra for a premier performance at London's Cadogan Hall this weekend.

Britain’s Lister Motor Company has rolled out its latest Jaguar-based sportscar​, the Thunder. Touted as the most powerful, and most luxurious road car in Lister's 65-year history​, it is based on the Jaguar F-Type and boasts that car's supercharged V8 and a bespoke exterior and interior.

Quick – you're on a team of men about to enter a competition. Your team can either listen to "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC or "Andante from Sonata for Two Pianos" by Mozart during the contest. Which do you choose? A new lighthearted study has the answer.

If they don't mind looking a bit like a Mortal Kombat character, a new electric balaclava featuring a built-in heating area around the nose and mouth would let athletes keep training like a champ in the cold while lowering the risk of contracting chest infections.

Zepp Play Soccer is a small sensor worn on the calf to keep tabs on things like kicks, sprints and distance covered, and can even compile a highlights package for your own post-game analysis.