University News Last updated 30 May 2012
Research that has applications in health and sport is to be shown at a high profile business and university event this week, hosted by Research Councils UK (RCUK) and Universities UK.
The ‘Big Ideas for the Future’ conference held in London focuses on enhancing the university and business relationship and will be showcasing innovative research currently taking place in higher education institutions across the UK.
MotivePro, which has been dubbed the ‘Vibrating Suit’, is one of a handful of projects from across the sector being exhibited at the event. The potential of the Birmingham City University research project, which helps athletes and other users to improve their memory of physical technique, has been recognised by Universities UK, who used it as a beacon of excellence in a report published earlier this year. The device has recently been tested by rising star and Olympic hopeful Mimi Cesar, the UK’s 3rd ranking rhythmic gymnast, and her coaching staff immediately recognised the suit’s potential in giving UK athletes a competitive advantage.
Influential leaders in business will be speaking at the event, including Professor Rick Rylance, Chief Executive of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and Karren Brady, former Business Woman of the Year and winner of Britain’s Most Influential Woman Award.
The Birmingham City University research project is being led by a cross-disciplinary team including Professor Gregory Sporton, Senior Academic Stephen Wanless and PhD student Jonathon Green (1).
Professor Sporton said: “The suit is designed to give wearers feedback about where their body is in space. It does this by focussing on key points in the body, taking relative measurements between them to check the user's position. This data, much more simple to acquire and treat in real time than more complex motion capture systems, is then used to give the wearer feedback in real time about their movement.
“The sensors include a vibrating motor, like that found on a mobile phone, and these can be set to vibrate to indicate when someone moves outside a desirable range. This is not the only use of the data: it can also be transformed into sound or visual files, all designed to give feedback in real time that enables wearers to adjust their movements in performance.
“The system can also record the movements as well, to use after the event. This means that archives can be built up showing relative performance over time, any long term trajectories identified and the use of the data to make averages among particular user groups”.