The four-year COMET competence project Digital Motion successfully completed the so-called mid-term review at the beginning of December 2020. Previous research and development work in the areas of movement sciences, technology and innovation management was evaluated.

With the help of modern sensor technology, industrial companies are developing smart running and skiing equipment together with research institutions in the COMET “Digital Motion” project. The aim is: more enjoyment of movement through an improved user experience. Because sport has to be fun! So it is not only speed, distance covered or altitude that counts, but above all the quality of the movement. Sensor technologies and qualitative movement data analysis should help to improve the individual sports experience.

Two independent experts, Larry Katz from the University of Calgary and Peter Beek from the Free University of Amsterdam, assessed the previous research and development work in the competence project at the mid-term review at the beginning of December. The degree of target achievement was checked and initial experiences reflected in order to learn for the next two years.

From Data to Value: Application-Oriented Research

Overall, 2020 was filled with challenges. Studies on the slopes had to be canceled in the first quarter of the year. Nevertheless, data was collected in the laboratory and in the field, algorithms designed and developed, and previous results published in specialist journals and at conferences.

One of the central questions was how the developments actually become innovations that make the leap into the market. This is ensured in particular through “co-creation”, i.e. the good and intensive cooperation between research and industry in the consortium, as well as international benchmarking.

With the tailwind from the review, the consortium partners will continue to focus on developing algorithms and modeling in the direction of the demonstrator systems in 2021. Recent studies such as the running intensity and vitality study and a simulated half marathon will help to gain new insights into the assessment of movement quality and the relationship between movement and emotion. In addition, a Human Motion Data Platform for study planning and research data management will be introduced by Salzburg Research in order to build up the software-based collections of the evaluated algorithms and data flows.

Further information: www.digital-motion.at

Post picture: © Atomic/Adidas