Smartspeed Set to Light up the Sports World 

Catalyst; QLD Issue #10; June 2004; PG 15

Queensland company Fusion Sport has developed the world’s first coaching automation tool which turns ordinary school teachers and sports trainers into elite speed and fitness coaches.

Brisbane-raised and University of Queensland educated sports scientist Dr Markus Deutsch (pictured) spent seven years in New Zealand running fitness programs for the New Zealand All Blacks and the Otago Highlanders rugby union teams.  While based at the University of Otago, he unvented the Grunt 3000, a sports ergometer similar to a mini scrum machine. The device proved so popular he began developing other automated coaching tools.

Returning to Queensland, he teamed up with software developer Dr Doug Moore to form Fusion Sport and create Smartspeed, a device which uses sensors and flashing lights to train and assess critical aspects of all land-based sports performance including speed, endurance, reaction time and decision-making.

Smartspeed raises the competitiveness and effectiveness of training sessions because everything is under the clock. “Even when the coach has his back turned, our system makes sure you are giving your best. It turns every coach into an elite speed and agility coach,” he said.

Easy to operate via a palmtop computer and completely wireless, Smartspeed is being marketed to private schools, semi-pro sporting teams and sporting academies.

Smartspeed won the top prize in the University of Queensland Business School’s 2003 Enterprise Award and has already generated strong interest overseas.

“We have met with Japanese wholesalers who believe the product has great potential with huge numbers of rugby, softball and baseball teams in Japan and we are also looking at a joint venture with a U.K. company to tap into the vast European soccer market,” Dr Deutsch said.

Fusion Sport is a client-company at the State Government funded i.lab at Toowong. i.lab provides companies with invaluable mentoring, networking opportunities and in effect a mini-MBA program.

Start-up companies outside a business incubator have an 85 per cent failure rate but start-up companies within a business incubator have an 85 per cent success rate.

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