Biomechanics of athletes is used in designing products, studying an athlete’s movements, and also for the entertainment value of the sports fan. Traditionally biomechanics have relied upon video cameras and they have had their share of disadvantages. A PhD student from the Massey University, Matthew Brodie, has developed Fusion Motion Capture (FMC), which uses inertial sensors, pressure pads and GPS attached to the athletes body, with the resulting numbers analyzed by computers. Initially developed for skiing professionals; it measures how a human performs complex tasks in the everyday world. This may help in providing insights about which technique, race strategy and equipment can increase an athlete’s performance. Though it costs $80,000 now, the cost is expected to fall down to a fraction of it, in the future, FMC might have health applications as well.
Via: Gizmag
