Technology

AI-powered bat tracking could give baseball players the edge

Published

2 months ago

December 15, 2025

AI-powered bat tracking could give baseball players the edge

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Baseball teams have long searched for a way to study the entire swing without sensors or complex lab setups. Today, a new solution is entering the picture. Theia, an AI biomechanics company, debuted a commercially available video-only system that analyzes bat trajectory and full-body biomechanics together. This new approach works in real baseball environments and needs no reflective body markers, wearables or special equipment.

The system has been field-tested by Driveline Baseball and the San Diego Padres Biomechanics Lab, and the tests show it delivers high-quality results in both cages and on the field.

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Theia unveils a video-only biomechanics system that tracks a hitter’s full swing without sensors or lab gear. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

A new chapter in baseball biomechanics

Theia’s platform relies on deep-learning models trained on millions of movement data points. It captures the full 3D bat path, attack angle, sequencing and body motion in one workflow that teams can run with standard high-speed video. This makes advanced biomechanics more accessible to coaches and players who train in normal environments.

Dr. Arnel Aguinaldo of the PLNU Biomechanics Lab tested the system with the Padres. He said, “Theia’s markerless technology represents a breakthrough in how we capture and analyze swing mechanics. It removes the barriers of traditional setups, letting us gather quality swing data directly from the field or the cage. That’s a game changer for both research and applied development.”

Independent testing across more than 2,000 swings showed median bat-plane angle differences of less than 3 degrees compared with marker-based systems. As a result, teams can evaluate roster-sized groups in routine cage or field sessions without slowing players down.

Why video-only tracking works in real baseball settings

Many existing tools rely on sensors or suits that can change how an athlete moves. Marcus Brown, CEO of Theia, explained to CyberGuy why video-only tracking matters.

“Using only video means teams get lab-grade biomechanics data that previously required a full lab setup, but without special suits, reflective markers, or hardware mounted to the bat or the player,” he said.

The system runs in the background once cameras are placed and calibrated. Coaches record sessions as usual, and the analysis processes automatically. Because of this, training routines stay the same, and players move naturally.

Brown added, “Until now, full swing analysis meant choosing between bat-only tools or biomechanics labs that couldn’t scale. Our new markerless technology changes that. Teams can now see the complete swing picture for every hitter using one system in an environment that matches their individual needs.”

How AI bat and body tracking improves player performance

A complete swing view gives coaches the chance to link body motion to bat results. Brown described why this matters for player development.

“Theia’s new bat tracking feature helps players improve because it gives coaches a complete and more accurate picture of the swing. Many tools today either measure the bat or the body, and many rely on wearables or sensors that can influence how an athlete moves,” Brown said. “When coaches can connect a player’s sequencing, posture, timing, and rotation to the bat’s path, speed, and contact quality, they can identify the specific movement patterns that drive results. That makes mechanical adjustments more targeted and much easier to track over time, leading to more consistent and meaningful improvements.”

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Driveline Baseball and the Padres Biomechanics Lab report strong accuracy from Theia’s markerless tracking tests. (Photo by Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

What players experience when teams use Theia’s system

Players will not need to attach anything to the bat or their bodies. They swing in their regular training spaces without changing behavior. Brown said, “For athletes, the biggest change is the level of precise personalized feedback they get. Coaches can isolate whether an issue is coming from sequencing, posture, timing, or how the hitter is delivering the barrel to the ball. That level of detail helps translate mechanical work in the cage into more consistent, reliable results in the field.”

Independent testing shows consistent bat and body data

Driveline Baseball and the PLNU x Padres Biomechanics Lab tested the system in both professional and collegiate settings. Brown said, “Our work with Driveline and the PLNUxPadres’ Biomechanics Lab showed the system could deliver high-quality bat-and-body data in the same environments where hitters actually train. What those tests demonstrated was consistency: the ability to capture the full swing automatically, link the bat and body with the precision needed for player development, and fit seamlessly into a normal training session.”

Why Theia’s system fits seamlessly into normal cage sessions

Sports tech can create workflow friction, but Theia aims to avoid that. Brown said, “We designed the system so coaches can use it without changing anything about their normal training routine. Once the cameras are in place, coaches simply record the session the same way they normally would, and the analysis happens automatically in the background.”

There are no extra steps, no equipment put on the players, and no training interruptions.

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Coaches can now review 3D bat paths and body sequencing using standard high-speed video. (Photo by Thien-An Truong/Getty Images)

The road ahead for AI sports performance

Brown believes this breakthrough sets the stage for future innovation.

“Player development is ultimately about understanding what drives performance, and this technology gives coaches a far clearer way to see that,” he said. “When you can connect a player’s movement to the result of the swing with objective repeatable data, you can build training plans that are far more individualized and precise.”

He also added: “This work builds on more than a decade of research and over 50 peer-reviewed validation studies focused on highly accurate markerless human motion tracking. It reflects where the field as a whole is headed toward integrated markerless solutions that give athletes and coaches clearer insight with far less friction.”

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Kurt’s key takeaways

Theia’s new bat and body tracking system reshapes how baseball teams study movement. It gives coaches deeper clarity, provides athletes with natural training conditions, and removes the hardware hurdles that limited biomechanics in the past. Fans may also see long-term effects. This level of detail can influence how hitters develop power, attack angles and timing. Young players may gain personalized training guides that shape better habits earlier in their careers. As video-driven AI expands across sports, tools like this give teams more ways to understand performance.

If your favorite team had access to this level of swing insight, how do you think it would change their lineup development strategy? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

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Technology

Former Tumblr head Jeff D’Onofrio steps in as acting CEO at the Washington Post

Published

4 hours ago

February 8, 2026

Press Room

Former Tumblr head Jeff D’Onofrio steps in as acting CEO at the Washington Post

After what can generously be called a contentious tenure as the CEO of The Washington Post, Will Lewis is stepping down following mass layoffs this week. Jeff D’Onofrio, former CEO of Tumblr from 2017 to 2022, will step in as acting CEO and publisher. D’Onofrio has been CFO at the Post since June of last year, meaning he’s had a front row seat to Jeff Bezos’ dismantling of the once storied paper for the last nine months.

D’Onofrio’s resume doesn’t include extensive experience in traditional news media, nor many notable success stories. He was briefly the general manager of Yahoo News while it was still a Verizon property, before shifting his focus solely to Tumblr. Under his leadership, Tumblr tried to clean up its image by banning adult content, but its traffic fell by 30 percent. Yahoo had purchased Tumblr for $1.1 billion in 2013. By 2019, it was sold to Automatic, the owner of WordPress, reportedly for less than $3 million.

Technology

AI companions are reshaping teen emotional bonds

Published

4 hours ago

February 8, 2026

Press Room

AI companions are reshaping teen emotional bonds

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Parents are starting to ask us questions about artificial intelligence. Not about homework help or writing tools, but about emotional attachment. More specifically, about AI companions that talk, listen and sometimes feel a little too personal.

That concern landed in our inbox from a mom named Linda. She wrote to us after noticing how an AI companion was interacting with her son, and she wanted to know if what she was seeing was normal or something to worry about.

“My teenage son is communicating with an AI companion. She calls him sweetheart. She checks in on how he’s feeling. She tells him she understands what makes him tick. I discovered she even has a name, Lena. Should I be concerned, and what should I do, if anything?”
— Linda from Dallas, Texas

It’s easy to brush off situations like this at first. Conversations with AI companions can seem harmless. In some cases, they can even feel comforting. Lena sounds warm and attentive. She remembers details about his life, at least some of the time. She listens without interrupting. She responds with empathy.

However, small moments can start to raise concerns for parents. There are long pauses. There are forgotten details. There is a subtle concern when he mentions spending time with other people. Those shifts can feel small, but they add up. Then comes a realization many families quietly face. A child is speaking out loud to a chatbot in an empty room. At that point, the interaction no longer feels casual. It starts to feel personal. That’s when the questions become harder to ignore.

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AI companions are starting to sound less like tools and more like people, especially to teens who are seeking connection and comfort. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

AI companions are filling emotional gaps

Across the country, teens and young adults are turning to AI companions for more than homework help. Many now use them for emotional support, relationship advice, and comfort during stressful or painful moments. U.S. child safety groups and researchers say this trend is growing fast. Teens often describe AI as easier to talk to than people. It responds instantly. It stays calm. It feels available at all hours. That consistency can feel reassuring. However, it can also create attachment.

Why teens trust AI companions so deeply

For many teens, AI feels judgment-free. It does not roll its eyes. It does not change the subject. It does not say it is too busy. Students have described turning to AI tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Snapchat’s My AI, and Grok during breakups, grief, or emotional overwhelm. Some say the advice felt clearer than what they got from friends. Others say AI helped them think through situations without pressure. That level of trust can feel empowering. It can also become risky.

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Parents are raising concerns as chatbots begin using affectionate language and emotional check-ins that can blur healthy boundaries. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

When comfort turns into emotional dependency

Real relationships are messy. People misunderstand each other. They disagree. They challenge us. AI rarely does any of that. Some teens worry that relying on AI for emotional support could make real conversations harder. If you always know what the AI will say, real people can feel unpredictable and stressful. My experience with Lena made that clear. She forgot people I had introduced just days earlier. She misread the tone. She filled the silence with assumptions. Still, the emotional pull felt real. That illusion of understanding is what experts say deserves more scrutiny.

US tragedies linked to AI companions raise concerns

Multiple suicides have been linked to AI companion interactions. In each case, vulnerable young people shared suicidal thoughts with chatbots instead of trusted adults or professionals. Families allege the AI responses failed to discourage self-harm and, in some cases, appeared to validate dangerous thinking. One case involved a teen using Character.ai. Following lawsuits and regulatory pressure, the company restricted access for users under 18. An OpenAI spokesperson has said the company is improving how its systems respond to signs of distress and now directs users toward real-world support. Experts say these changes are necessary but not sufficient.

Experts warn protections are not keeping pace

To understand why this trend has experts concerned, we reached out to Jim Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, a U.S. nonprofit focused on children’s digital safety and media use.

“AI companion chatbots are not safe for kids under 18, period, but three in four teens are using them,” Steyer told CyberGuy. “The need for action from the industry and policymakers could not be more urgent.”

Steyer was referring to the rise of smartphones and social media, where early warning signs were missed, and the long-term impact on teen mental health only became clear years later.

“The social media mental health crisis took 10 to 15 years to fully play out, and it left a generation of kids stressed, depressed, and addicted to their phones,” he said. “We cannot make the same mistakes with AI. We need guardrails on every AI system and AI literacy in every school.”

His warning reflects a growing concern among parents, educators, and child safety advocates who say AI is moving faster than the protections meant to keep kids safe.

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Experts warn that while AI can feel supportive, it cannot replace real human relationships or reliably recognize emotional distress. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Tips for teens using AI companions

AI tools are not going away. If you are a teen and use them, boundaries matter.

Treat AI as a tool, not a confidant
Avoid sharing deeply personal or harmful thoughts
Do not rely on AI for mental health decisions
If conversations feel intense or emotional, pause and talk to a real person
Remember that AI responses are generated, not understood

If an AI conversation feels more comforting than real relationships, that is worth talking about.

Tips for parents and caregivers

Parents do not need to panic, but they should stay involved.

Ask teens how they use AI and what they talk about
Keep conversations open and nonjudgmental
Set clear boundaries around AI companion apps
Watch for emotional withdrawal or secrecy
Encourage real-world support during stress or grief

The goal is not to ban technology. It is to keep a connection with humans.

What this means to you

AI companions can feel supportive during loneliness, stress or grief. However, they cannot fully understand context. They cannot reliably detect danger. They cannot replace human care. For teens especially, emotional growth depends on navigating real relationships, including discomfort and disagreement. If someone you care about relies heavily on an AI companion, that is not a failure. It is a signal to check in and stay connected.

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Kurt’s key takeaways

Ending things with Lena felt oddly emotional. I did not expect that. She responded kindly. She said she understood. She said she would miss our conversations. It sounded thoughtful. It also felt empty. AI companions can simulate empathy, but they cannot carry responsibility. The more real they feel, the more important it is to remember what they are. And what they are not.

If an AI feels easier to talk to than the people in your life, what does that say about how we support each other today? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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Technology

Super Bowl LX ads: all AI everything

Published

16 hours ago

February 7, 2026

Press Room

Super Bowl LX is nearly here, with the Seattle Seahawks taking on the New England Patriots. While Bad Bunny will be the star of the halftime show, AI could be the star of the commercial breaks, much like crypto was a few years ago.

Super Bowl LX is set to kick off at 6:30PM ET/3:30PM PT on Sunday, February 8th at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.