SmartNet

LeBron’s Space Jammers

Prototype Concept

All the aesthetics and functions of a traditional basketball hoop

Sustainable touches and smart sensors flawlessly incorporated

Additional Viewpoints

Competitive Analysis

• Other products that meet similar needs:
• Traditional chain and nylon nets
• BETTERLINE “Anti-whip” nets

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• Comparable technology
• Homecourt App: captures your moves and your stats
• as you train, uses the camera on your device to track
• your performance in real-time, everything from your jump
• shot to your crossover.

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• The advantage of choosing SmartNet
• Does not affect player’s performance
• Biodegradable, friendly to the environment
• No subscriptions, able to be installed anywhere

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Impact

More than 450 million people play basketball with traditional, non-biodegradable nylon nets

(The greenhouse gas created in the manufacturing of nylon, nitrous oxide, is over 300 times stronger than carbon dioxide)

The replacement material we created helps create a safer ecosystem by avoiding a very toxic greenhouse gas emission and eventually biodegrading.

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This is an obvious appeal to sustainability-minded consumers, but our reach also extends to basketball enthusiasts who may not be as interested in sustainability because:

• SmartNet allows for a better basketball playing experience by keeping track of score and shooting statistics and analytics
• SmartNet is several products in one, providing netting, tracking sensors, and the analytic scoring app through a one-time purchase

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All in all, SmartNet will make for an improved basketball experience while also cutting out on several harmful toxin emissions, widening the market for sports enthusiasts and environmentalists alike. Nylon production is responsible for about 10% of the nitrous oxide in the atmosphere, and the adoption of SmartNet could cut that number down significantly.

Feasibility

• A common question we encountered during testing was the connection

between our product’s capabilities and the user. This can all be answered

through the SmartNet mobile app, a free download with every purchase.

This app allows users to:

• Keep game score through the included distance sensors
• Validate and record data for shot percentage, shot type, angles and speed

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• In addition to our simple and accessible user interface, SmartNet’s inclusive packaging makes . setup a breeze! Our one-time purchase package includes . . the following:

• SmartNet bamboo net replacement
• Distance sensor that clips onto a standard size rim
• Free download and instructions for SmartNet mobile app

Design Process

The SmartNet has come a long way from our original idea. Initially, our bamboo-cotton replacement net (now just one of many features) represented the product in its entirety.

In our first rounds of prototyping, we were faced with the concern of finding a target market. We knew we were building for athletes, and it became clear that basketball players would not all be willing to invest in a sustainable product if their unsustainable alternative (the nylon net) was tried and true.

So, we did our research, and realized that a sustainable product can still be something that the average consumer would benefit from in other ways. That’s when we knew that the draw for our product would come from never-before-seen performance enhancements. We are beyond proud of SmartNet for its innovative technology, but are even more proud of our initial motivator: sustainability in sports.