For an innovative tech brand saying ‘DoWhatYouCan’t’, we didn’t choose to just do an advertising campaign made by a proud sponsor, we started a creative partnership in which we created a technological innovation that solved a real barrier within the sport. The start is the most essential part of BMX racing, but what exactly makes a start the perfect start is the greatest mystery in BMX-history. Every BMX-rider knows that reaction, power and bike control are key aspects. But no athlete, no coach and no sport scientist has ever discovered which ideal combination delivers the perfect start! Until Samsung FastFrame.

Samsung has been the Worldwide Olympic Partner since 1998. For the Summer Games in Tokyo, Samsung Electronics Benelux sponsored BMX riders Niek Kimmann and Judy Baauw. The brief was to develop a strategy and creative idea for a sponsorship campaign around the Games that connects seamlessly with the Samsung brand mantra: ‘Do What You Can’t’.

Instead of coming up with communication ideas, we chose to develop a tech contribution for the BMX-athletes. A major hurdle in this was to create a solution that did not interfere with the athletes’ flow and performance, and did not require them to change their normal behaviour.

Regulations at the Olympic Games are very strict, so you can’t contribute during competitive racing. So, we had to find an innovative way of contributing to the athletes’ training.

As sponsor of BMX-athletes, you can hope for Olympic success. But as a tech brand saying ‘Do What You Can’t’, why not help them to be successful?

BMX is all about the perfect start; with 70% of all BMX-races being won in the first 6 meters. This start consists of 3 elements: reaction speed, power and the angle at which the bike is pulled up. The ideal combination of these 3 factors is the biggest mystery in BMX. Until we developed Samsung FastFrame. A customized BMX-innovation with built-in technology and app that measures these factors in real-time. The data, directly transferred to the coaches’ smartphones, unlocked this ideal combination for the perfect start.

Creating true value for the athletes (Samsung FastFrame as a daily training tool) and the big press launch of the innovative secret weapon, formed the campaign core. A bold statement, fitting Samsung's brand promise.

3 October 2019 – Finding the big barrier in BMX. ??

First meeting with the national BMX team coaches and Olympic athletes. As it turns out, BMX is all about the start. But what makes the perfect start? It’s a combination of reaction speed, raw power and the bike control. But the ideal combination of these factors has always been a mystery. From this insight, the idea for FastFrame was born. ??

11 November 2019 — Start of pre-production cycle.

Nail down functional design for all elements, software, firmware and hardware. The aim is to create a solution that is invisible to the athlete while they are using it and analyses the results in real time after they have finished their run. Test all different types of technologies and discard those that don’t work as desired to come up with to the final technology selection and proceed to the production stage. On-site environmental research in Papendal to find the best way to integrate into a training workflow.??

25 November 2019 — Start developing design

Start developing design to talk to the different types of sensors measuring the bike performance and angular data. Synchronise all these different data streams to create a single data stream with atomic clock accuracy. Analysis is done on the fly for each athlete while the recording is made on the on-site server.??

14 February 2020 — First integration

First integration into the BMX bike with a specially designed 3D enclosure to house all the electronics. Aim is for easy access for attachment and removal, and keeping it out of the way of the athlete while performing. It was also placed inside the frame where the added weight wouldn’t upset the intricate balance of the bike during a training session.??

18 February 2020 — Testing

Initial technical integration test for timing systems and data capture on the BMX track at Papendal. Done in conjunction with the technical staff of NOC*NSF to ensure the capture of valid scientific data for highly accurate analysis with our FastFrame.??

March - April 2020 — Papendal was closed due to the pandemic measures. Software development continued based on the initial integration tests, but on-site testing wasn’t possible at the time.??

November 2019 – May 2020 Testing and improving various test bikes. ??

March 2020 - IOC postponed Games to 2021??

Training with Samsung FastFrame started, continuing until the Games in summer 2021.??

May 2020 — With access to Papendal again after relaxation of pandemic measures for elite athletes, we started with a batch of different tests each week. Quickly gained feedback and worked through all assumptions made during the period with no access to the athletes. This included software and hardware tweaks and redesigning the enclosure, as BMX jump impact is hard on equipment.??

June 2020 — Training starts with the FastFrame.??

July - September 2020 — Multiple updates

Multiple updates to the geometry of crank design to enhanced accuracy under extreme loads for the BMX athletes. The athletes produce extraordinary amount of torque during the first 3 seconds of their run and we wanted every minute detail we could get, changing the design of the cranks ensured we could capture it all for each crank individually 100 times per second.??

July 2020 till 2021 Games — Support and minor updates

Continuous support and minor updates to the FastFrame based on feedback from coaches, athletes and NOC*NSF technical staff.??

Want more info about the development process? Go to www.ideasthatmove.nl/samsungfastframe-app

The customised BMX-innovation with built-in sensors and app enabled riders and coach to ‘do what they can’t’: measure the 3 key factors for the start. Up untill then, the start – which is where 70% of the races are won – was done purely on gut feeling.

We created a central hub that could communicate with all of the seamlessly integrated sensors measuring the performance and angular metrics of the bike.

- Tracking the reaction time to the drop of the start-gate.

- Mapping the torque output of each leg (cranks at 100Hz, using a modified version of ANT+)

- Mapping the amount of lift of the bike to the position on the hill (9-DOF IMU to capture the angle of the bike in 3D space).?

A Windows 10 server application took care of data storage & analysis. The data gained was transmitted directly to the custom Android app running on the coaches' Samsung Galaxy S21 and Tab S7 to display the data from the connected bike in real-time.

It was extremely challenging to synchronise all of these different data streams into a single data stream with atomic clock accuracy, connected to the BMX start-hill timing system.

While training with FastFrame, the athletes discovered that they started significantly faster if they used less power and put greater emphasis on the ideal angle of the bike. Totally contrary to what they had expected.

FastFrame has enabled them to gain a 30-millisecond advantage at the start. Which is equivalent to a 20 cm lead at the bottom of the ramp, enabling them to stay just ahead of their competitors. That’s incredibly important, as 70% of BMX races are won at the start.

Kimmann won gold at the Olympics. Dutch first ever. Three weeks later, Kimmann won gold again and Baauw won silver at the UCI World Championship.

Using digital technologies Samsung FastFrame transformed the fundamental understanding of the BMX start and pushes the sport forward by using data. The Dutch Olympic Committee wants to make the innovation available to all Dutch BMX athletes. On the road to Paris 2024.