FALL 2022
MEMS NEWS MECHANICAL ENGINEERING & MATERIALS SCIENCE
Annual Publication of the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering
The People of MEMS MLB, USA Softball and Kids Alike Use a Pitt Inventor’s Smart Bats and Balls
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hen William “Buddy” Clark coached his kids’ baseball and softball teams, other parents kept asking him what gear or training could give their players an edge. The Swanson School of Engineering professor and National Academy of Inventors inductee saw an opportunity. “I came up with a solution that required measurements, and the more I investigated, the more I realized that the tools that work best – wearable sensors – were starting to be a thing but in a rudimentary way,” Clark said. “It dawned on
me that this was a good solution for this problem and, if applied properly, opened the door for useful information for players and others. It took off from there.” In 2012, he and alumnus CJ Handron (KGSB ’10) launched Diamond Kinetics, a Pittsburgh-based sports company that produces mobile-based hitting and throwing technology to help coaches and players analyze performance to improve their training. Clark and Handron met through Pitt’s nationally acclaimed Small Business Development Center, where Handron was Clark’s advisor. They quickly bonded over their love of America’s pastime and a shared desire to aid budding baseball and softball enthusiasts. “We bring in technology that tracks how things move and focus on how to make learning the games
engineering.pitt.edu/mems
more fun,” Handron said. “We want to expedite learning those skills and generally introduce a digital complement to the physical playing.” Diamond Kinetics sensors are placed inside of balls and on the end of baseball and softball bats to track batting and pitching metrics. Batting metrics include speed, exit velocity, launch angle, applied power and more. Tracked pitching data include extension and delivery timing. This information is collected, transmitted via Bluetooth to a cellphone application and translated into visual charts. The tech quickly took off. Current Diamond Kinetics partners include Major League Baseball (MLB) and the USA Softball National Teams. But, kids still remain at the core of the Diamond Kinetics’ mission. In April 2022, the company was named the “Trusted Youth Development Platform of Major League Baseball” and it’s been mentioned in an ESPN gift guide for kids and other youth-centered initiatives. continued on page 2