Huami Becomes McLaren’s eSports Wearables Partner

Huami (NYSE:HMI) announced on Wednesday (January 16) a collaboration with McLaren Applied Technologies to become an official wearables partner for the brand’s eSports program.

The partnership will see the two companies jointly develop a co-branded smart technology wearable product that is set to work with mobile applications to provide insight on activity data.

Huami says the collaboration will explore the application of data-driven wearables that help optimize human performance in the field of racing through body sensors and artificial intelligence technology.

Initially, the partnership will be put to the test during the McLaren Shadow Project eSports competition. Huami’s technology will be used to help select the winner of the competition, which is set to take place on January 16 and 17.

The McLaren Shadow Project is the brand’s top eSports program, and the event winner will get an opportunity to join its eSports team and represent McLaren in the official Formula 1 eSports series.

“As part of our strategic collaboration, we will integrate our mutually compatible technologies to develop an innovative wearable design and create a comprehensive user experience,” Tommy Tang, vice president of Huami, said in the release.

Huami said that the winner will be selected based on four days of virtual and real-world racing, along with human performance testing by McLaren.

“As a partner to McLaren Shadow Project this programme will enable Huami’s devices to be used as an invaluable data source to detail compelling insights about human physical performance that works across different sectors, including wellness and eSports,” Tang added.

Human performance testing will include stimulus detection, central processing, physical capabilities and driving skill, with the data collected from Huami’s wearable products used to evaluate performance.

“As part of our partnership we are honored to help determine the champion of the McLaren Shadow Project, based on analysis of the biometric data collected from our premium wearable products,” Tang continued in the release.

“Importantly, we look forward to jointly developing smart technology wearable products that work with mobile applications to provide users with a comprehensive view of their biometric and activity data.”

Mike Collier, head of human performance at McLaren, said that the company is looking ahead to co-developing products with Huami.

“The involvement of McLaren Applied Technologies in the McLaren Shadow Project is a key differentiator between our competition and others in the racing eSports space,” he said. “This offering has only been strengthened by this partnership with Huami and we’re pleased to have such a trusted partner on-board to help crown our winner.”

Following the announcement, shares of Huami were up by 1.51 percent and closed the trading session on Wednesday at US$10.10. The stock has a “buy” ranking on TradingView with 13 verticals in favor, nine in neutral and six against.

Image courtesy of McLaren Applied Technologies.

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Securities Disclosure: I, Bala Yogesh, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.