2016-09-22
A comprehensive, affordable, and easy-to-use motion tracking solution to sports training
The “Motion” project aims to create a comprehensive, affordable, and easy-to-use motion tracking solution to sports self-training. Currently, if one wishes to learn or practice a sport, he or she would first attempt to self-learn or practise it with a friend by iterating on captured video footages and mutual observations. Injuries are likely as feedback is done amongst the unskilled. If one can afford the high costs to hire a dedicated coach, performance can be improved as the coach acts as a professional motion tracking and analysis system. Shall actual quantitative data be required, one can spend even more cash and time to visit a motion tracking studio with dedicated motion tracking hardware and software.
The team, consisted of Carlos Ma (PhD candidate in Control Engineering, Dept. of ME), Brian Lee (PhD in Surgical Robotics, Dept. of ME), and Benny Cheung (BEng candidate in Electrical Engineering, Dept. of EEE) (Figure 1), attempts to solve these problems by the creation of an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) based motion capture device called “Node” (Figure 2), which can be used to measure a sportsman’s postures and movements, and a companion software that does goal-based training, autonomous coaching, error detection, recommendation, ranking, matchmaking, and coach referral (Figure 3). The sport of badminton will be targeted first, as it is one of the most popular sports in Hong Kong and Asia.
Affordability and the ease-of-use of the “Node” system are of the utmost importance to the team, as, with it, they plan to get people motivated to regular exercise and to build up a sports training community. Their designs are being made based on feedbacks from various people, including an Olympic player and his coach, who are looking forward to the success of “Motion”.
Figure 1 The “Motion” Team. (Brian (Left), Benny (Middle), Carlos (Right))
Figure 2 The “Node” hardware
NODE DEMONSTRATE
Detail : http://www.dreamcatchers.hku.hk/?p=1388