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We were lucky enough to have an event at this year’s British Science Festival in Bradford regarding the role of science and technology in sport. The event took the form of a debate, with our own Professor Haake arguing for technology, and Philosopher Dr Jim Parry presenting arguments against. Both gave fascinating talks which raised a lot of questions and debate. I recorded both speakers so others could listen to the arguments, find the videos below. Of course it wouldn’t be a debate unless we asked the opinion of the audience, so I have copied some of the questions into polls below, it would be fantastic if you could respond with your opinions on the subtleties of technology in sport and what you think is acceptable. Did either speaker sway your decisions? Who do you agree with? What are your thoughts? It would be great if you could leave a comment.
Professor Haake:
This series of posts looks at the Kinect as a potential tool for analysis in Biomechanics. Previously we explored the quality of algorithms which detect a user’s body segments, finding real potential should the appropriate tools be developed. The power of the Kinect comes from its ability to ‘see’ depth, every point on an image can be resolved according to its distance from the Kinect camera. The corresponding point cloud drives many of the amazing functions which give the device so much potential. This post focuses on the point cloud data which can be extracted from the Kinect and work we’ve done to exploit it for Biomechanics.
The depth information from the MS Kinect, colour coded according to distance from sensor
The Hardware
Dubbed ‘the fastest selling electronic product in history’, Microsoft’s Kinect has clearly captured the attention of the gamer. The market was fundamentally changed by Nintendo and the Wii, the Kinect is Microsoft’s attempt at a user-friendly, demographic spanning input device. While the Wii takes signals from a hand-held ‘Wii-Mote’, the Kinect does away with controllers completely.
The two hour marathon is a hot topic, following on from a BBC radio four documentary which asked whether it would ever be achieved, I thought I’d shoot a quick video to illustrate the speed necessary to complete a marathon in 2 hours. Previously we’ve covered the subject ourselves in one of Leon Foster’s posts, and the Science of Sport blog has looked marathon’s in detail several times. I hope this video illustrates the kind of sustained effort necessary to achieve this awesome feat.
Simon Choppin
Fans of cricket rejoice, Dr James (who studied the dynamics of cricket pitches for his PhD) has recorded a lecture on the various issues of engineering and cricket for all to enjoy. Dr James is our resident ‘Public Engagement Tsar’ having presented to a countless number of dignitaries at prestigious societies and institutions and numerous science festivals.
I usually insist that any post on EngineeringSport contains at least a modicum of science in the written content. However, Dr James has packed so much into his 36 minute lecture that I’m forgoing the rule this time.
Enjoy the video.
Simon Choppin
A couple of weeks ago I discussed the new Ski-Jump world record set in Norway, this time I’m reporting on another record set on UK soil (or a plastic ski slope to be more specific). The record I am referring to is the highest jump from a quarter pipe on a dry ski slope.
On a wet and windy day this February, I travelled to Rossendale Ski Slope in Lancashire with fellow Sports Engineer Heather Driscoll. Although I had visited the ski slope once before as a wide eyed and mal-coordinated teenager to try and learn to ski, I was returning as a nervous and mal-coordinated adult for a very different purpose.
Although not an avid follower of winter sports, I noticed that the world record for the ski-jump was broken on the 11th of February. Johan Remen Evensen of Norway jumped 246.5 m at the Nordic Vikersundbakken ski jumping hill. The video below shows the jump itself.
It may seem like I have balls on the brain if my last couple of posts are any indication. Balls are such a big part of sport and Sports Engineers are fascinated by the way they behave as they bounce on the ground and fly through the air.
I’ve seen two amazing videos recently which exhibit the way in which balls can still baffle us.
Rugby, the penalty of wind
The video below shows a Rugby player taking a penalty in what the Irish tourist board might describe as ‘a slight breeze’. Be sure to watch from all angles to get a good idea of what’s going on.
The American science magazine; Popular Science recently posted an article regarding a new basketball sensor system. The system is able to track a player’s performance as they dribble, pass or make a shot, although from the article it is unclear whether this system is legal for use during competition or strictly training only.
Sensor systems in sport
Hawkeye is a familiar sensor system used for a number of sports, not only to govern the game (line-calling in tennis for example) but also to provide metrics and visualisations for a modern television audience hungry for stats. However, accurate multi-camera systems such as Hawkeye come at a great cost in terms of use and installation.
What is interesting about the new basketball sensor system is that it is contained within the ball itself. The company behind the technology, 94Fifty, is a startup from the University of Michigan and aims to provide an affordable coaching system for basketball teams at all levels.
The difficulty in embedding a sensor in a sports ball is that it has to be substantial enough that it won’t be damaged during the rigours of play, but also light enough that it does not affect the behaviour of the ball in any significant way.
The Adidas intelligent ball is an example of sensor integration into sport equipment - ruled out by FIFA
My curiosity was piqued recently on a last-minute Christmas shopping trip. As I wandered round the sports section of a local branch of a department store, my mind was struggling to contend with the mental challenges of garish festive displays, oppressive crowding and music so good it’s only played for a few weeks every year. As the drudgery wore on, my eye was drawn to what seemed to be an exciting new product, it was presented very well with attractive graphics and sleek matt packaging. The box contained what seems to be a thin rubber bracelet with two small holographic discs embedded diametrically opposite each other. What did it do? The box claimed it was ‘Performance Technology’ but even after prying the box open and scanning the contents I could find no explanation or instructions on how this technology should be used.
The Power Balance Bracelet
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