United kingdom Daily news: Electric training suit vibrates to tell Olympic athletes when they have perfected a routine

Rabu, 02 Mei 2012

Electric training suit vibrates to tell Olympic athletes when they have perfected a routine

Electric training suit vibrates to tell Olympic athletes when they have perfected a routine

PUBLISHED: 18:01 EST, 1 May 2012 | UPDATED: 10:36 EST, 2 May 2012

A vibrating suit could be the key to ensuring Britain's athletes perform with inch-perfect precision at this summer's Olympics.

Researchers have developed the new technology whereby tiny sensors attached to the wearer's skin trigger motors to tell them when they move in the correct way.

A computer tracks the user's movements in real time and the results can be monitored by a coach as Olympic hopefuls practice.

Scroll down for video of the vibrating suit

Bionic woman: The MotivePro suit, which vibrates to tell the wearer when they are positioning themselves correctly, is expected to prove particularly useful for gymnasts

The MotivePro suit, pioneered at Birmingham City University, is being tested by British athletes as they look to hone their skills in the run-up to the London 2012 games - and it could prove particularly useful for gymnasts.

Professor Gregory Sporton, a former ballet dancer, initially invented the suit to perfect his own posture while performing.

He said: 'The beauty of the suit is that it can be calibrated to the individual athlete's routines.

'When an athlete hits a particular stretch or movement the computer sends a tiny impulse, like a vibration on a mobile phone, to the sensors which is then felt on the skin.

'In theory the sensors can be placed anywhere on the body but they are put on the athlete's joints.

High-tech: The suit was originally developed to help its ballet dancer inventor hone his steps

'Because the sensors relay the information in real time the athlete will receive immediate feedback throughout their routine.

'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.

'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 or inside a desirable range.

'Therefore the vibrations can indicate to an athlete whether they are performing well or not.'

The suit is being launched today as part of the Olympic-themed Universities week.

British Olympic rhythmic gymnast Mimi Cesar, 17, is using the technology to polish her routines.

The teenager from Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, said: 'The suit will be especially useful in group gymnastics be cause you get points for synchronisation and how you all look together so it will help gymnasts do the routines exactly the same.

'If all five of them wore the suits they would know exactly where to place their back or body, then it would look better and they would get more marks.'Â