Rowing
Over the last 15 years the Dutch research group ‘Ambulatory 3D Motion Analysis’ at Roessingh Research and Development (RRD) in Enschede has been developing ambulatory methodologies and applications around inertial sensing. Apart from applications in rehabilitation and ergonomics, RRD also targets applications in sports coaching are targeted. All research and developments are performed in close cooperation with the other nine scientific and industrial partners of the Dutch FreeMotion research consortium.
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Application in rowing
In collaboration
with Dutch rowing clubs of Protheus (Delft) en Euros (Enschede), the Free
University of Amsterdam, Delft Technical University and the Dutch Olympic
Committe (NOC/NSF), RRD is currently investigating the technological and
methodological (im)possibilities of application for coaching in competitive
rowing. The aim is to develop a tool that provides sufficiently accurate,
relevant information to the rowing coach about the exact movements, timing and
behavior of the rowers during actual rowing on the water. Such information
is otherwise very hard or even impossible for the rowing coach to obtain and
assess. In this way an extra source of information is available to the coach to
base coaching decisions and activities, both real-time and in retrospect with or
without the rowers present. Moreover he can also use the tool in discussions
with the rowers afterwards, using the tool as if it were a multimodal video
recorder.
The first results of this study were presented at a rowing
conference in Delft in the fall of 2007 and discussed with members of the Dutch
rowing community in workshops. In these sessions first general methodology and
then application in other fields were presented. Then the results of a series of
trials in actual rowing were used to open discussions about (non)sense of
further developing such a tool for rowing coaches and where to go next. An ad
hoc forum of interested professionals was formed to take part in the process of
choosing the proper visualization and parameter representation for sensible
application. 
Methods
As a starting
point for the rowing coach application the IC-Coach /ACL-Coach application was
adapted. - IC-Coach was developed for coaching low back pain patients in back
loading behavior, and ACL-Coach for monitoring and coaching ACL surgery patients.
In this case full body inertial sensing data from the Moven suit was combined with 2 synchronized wireless camera video streams and a first choice of essential graphics.
Experiments were performed on a rowing ergometer, in the seat
fixed to the pier and in a skiff on the water (see photo on the right side).
First impressions of rowing professional encouraged a ‘GO’ for the project.
More info
Chris
Baten - Group 3D Ambulatory Motion Analysis, Roessingh Research and
Development.
