No less than the perfect ski equipment and the perfect fit running shoe promises a new research project of Salzburg Research, the state-owned research company. The “Digital Motion in Sports, Fitness and Well-being” is in the pool of federally funded projects with a total of 11.7 million euros through the COMET program for the next four years. Participating countries are Salzburg and Tyrol.

“For the Province of Salzburg, the approval of the funding is a great success”, said Governor Wilfried Haslauer. The flagship project “Digital Motion” will make another contribution to strengthening Salzburg as a location for science.

Quantity Becomes Quality

The special feature of “Digital Motion”: Quantitative movement data acquired during walking, running or skiing are used to gain qualitative data with the physical and emotional parameters of the consumers. Athletes are thereby supported in their activities and achieve a higher motivation, performance improvements and ultimately a higher well-being. This means: “So it’s no longer just how long, how often and how fast I’m on the road, but rather how well I move and how I feel”, explains project manager Elisabeth Häusler from Salzburg Research. “The digitization of the human movement will lead to a better understanding of its activities and achievements.”

Evaluation Under Real Conditions

Planned start of the research project is October 2018. The estimated costs amount to approximately 4.3 million Euros with a term of four years. The evaluations will take place under real conditions, i.e. on the ski slope and on the running track. “The goal is to promote the overall experience and the joy of movement in sports and everyday life through individually tailored equipment and coaching”, says Häusler. In addition to Salzburg Research, the project involves a strong Austrian industrial consortium as well as internationally recognized research partners of the Universities of Salzburg and Lausanne.

Various Fields of Application

The fields of application are manifold: Apart from sport and leisure, the technology can also be applied in the medical field, for example in rehabilitation. “In general, the data provides new basis for decision-making for the development and improvement of products and services”, says Siegfried Reich, Managing Director of Salzburg Research.