Human Performance Improvement

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When elite athletes tire, their competitive edge may be lost.  When emergency services and Defence personnel are fatigued, the results may be fatal.  It is important that we can accurately monitor human performance, to make sure our military personnel and emergency service workers are safe and that our top athletes are performing at their peak.  At NICTA we are developing next-generation networks that can do this by transmitting data around the human body and interpreting it.

Who is helped?

Wearable and implantable devices will allow new opportunities to monitor and analyse biometric status in a range of activities and environments.  NICTA is collaborating with the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) to develop systems that help swimming coaches get accurate data about swimmers' performances and develop appropriate training strategies.  We have developed patentable technology that can quantify and log the activity of elite swimmers.

Key algorithms understand what an athlete is doing, based upon wearable technology.  Our research is developing the algorithms into an efficient form which can analyse hours of training in minutes of processing.  We are embedding the algorithms into a software demonstrator, which will be used by AIS coaching staff.

What's under the hood?

To communicate using wireless technology around the human body, we need to know how the human body impacts on the wireless signal.  NICTA has systematically measured the effect of movement on the wireless signal.  Movement is the key detail that is unique to wireless research.  Having a machine-learning team in co-operation with the wireless team to develop new application for the network sets us apart internationally.  Many international groups have either a strong machine-learning focus or a strong wireless focus, but not both.

We collaborate with:

• The Australian Institute of Sport and Catapult Innovations
• Prozone and Tracab

Existing devices transmit a limited amount of information, far less than the volume that will be required in the future.  Understanding algorithms exist, but at a basic and individual level.  The HPI team will create a disruptive IP, which causes substantial changes in the existing status quo and/or new markets.  The new markets will centre around sports activity recognition (swimming) and wireless network chip designs.

What's next?

We will license the wearable activity recognition algorithms to multinational partners.  We are forming international linkages through our standards activity for the wireless component and forming a research partnership for further developing the team sports algorithms.  We aim to validate research against world leaders and standards members and plan to expand existing technologies into the consumer sporting domain.