Wireless Applications for Sports and Wellness Study

1
Wireless Applications for Sports and Wellness
Study

• An overview

2
Concept

• preliminary overview of the business
  opportunities
• organizations in Alberta have considerable
  expertise in various sports and recreation
  activities and as well there are recognized
  sports related institutes.
• substantial expertise in wireless technology
• key outcome - identify applications of use in
  sports and recreation training and coaching
  processes, with potential for cross-over to
  personal training and wellness markets.
• these applications demonstrated on testbeds in
  Alberta lead to relationships with international
  companies with worldwide reach
• net result - new business opportunities for
  companies with appropriate expertise in Alberta.

3
Potential cluster structure

• End Markets
• Intermediate markets
• Infrastructure
• Techniques, tools, practices
• Economic infrastructure

4
Scope

• Measurement and monitoring
• Speech communication (coach to athlete, or coach
  to assistant)
• Entertainment
• Only the first was included

5
Existing Sports capabilities and context

• The process of developing training plans for
  improving athletic performance
• part by the observation of top performers and how
  they achieve their level of performance
• observation often carried out using video cameras
  
• then undertaking frame by frame
• comparison with successive performances or with
  competitors
• biomechanical analysis of the images.

6
Why wireless?

• Participants in sports are mobile
• applications require current data on the
  individual collected by transducers worn or
  carried by the performer
• data in real time
• if data storage not required devices are lighter,
  smaller, less power hungry

7
Why wireless -2 ?

• No trailing wires
• Usable in a variety of locations
• Easily able to be cleaned and sterilized

8
Application types

• individual performance monitoring
• coaching devices
• data collection devices
• assistive devices
• environmental devices
• judging, refereeing, umpiring and administrative
  systems

9
Existing Products and initiatives

• Individual performance monitoring
• Video Systems
• Activity monitoring
• Oxygen intake monitoring
• Cardiac monitoring
• Power meters
• Performance capacity assessment
• Coaching devices
• Coach directed video
• Activity monitors for coaching
• Data collection devices
• Assistive devices
• Environmental devices
• Judging, refereeing, umpiring and administrative
  systems
• Other related systems
• Wearable technology
• GPS systems
• Monitoring systems for the elderly
• Development of control systems

10
Some Specific Requirements

• Ease of use, interfaces, presentation
• Psychological dimension
• Scope of systems

11
Generalized requirements

• 1. Very unobtrusive and robust hardware
• 2. A seamless local (short range) to mobile or
  fixed communications infrastructure
• 3. Knowledge and historic databases with
  appropriate access tools
• 4. Natural feeling human interfaces
• 5. Dependability and security

12
Potential technology needs

• Human athletic performance models
• Unobtrusive hardware
• Human interface technology
• Wireless technology, low power, multiple users
• Local location determination
• Data Management capabilities
• Security and dependability
• Power sources
• Mass market requirements

13
Perceived benefits

• Reduced illness and injury
• Reduced demand for healthcare
• Reduced insurance costs
• Increased active lifetime
• Greater enjoyment of life
• Decreased accident and fatality rates
• Higher safe utilization of facilities
• Better coaching
• Better performance
• Fewer organizational resources
• Lower risks

14
Conclusions

• the level of interest is high
• wide range of ideas surfaced
• the capabilities required to support such a
  business cluster all exist within the province
• some areas where additional knowledge would be
  useful, but this knowledge does not exist at
  present and there is a good basis for developing
  it in Alberta.
• the cluster is to some extent in the process of
  forming because there are already some of the
  links characteristic of a cluster in place
• cluster could benefit from being accelerated.