• Post: Wearables Revolutionize Performance Diagnostics in Girls’ Soccer

    A new study on performance diagnostics in girls’ soccer demonstrates how innovative wearable technology and subjective self-assessments are setting new standards in training analysis. The Human Motion Analytics research team at Salzburg Research, in collaboration with Adidas AG, has published its latest findings in the renowned journal Frontiers in Sports and Active Living. Technology meets training practice: smart insoles in use The study examined 46 players from the U17 and U20 teams of 1. FC Nürnberg. The players wore smart insoles for 14 months. The insoles contained inertial measurement units (IMUs) that recorded precise movement data during regular training sessions. Additionally, the players documented their perceived training intensity and emotional experience after each session. © adidas Damen-Nachwuchs des 1. FCN trainiert mit Sensorsohle © adidas Feedback zur subjektiven Selbsteinschätzung direkt nach dem Training © adidas Team-Feedback aus den Sensorsohlen © adidas The goal was to combine objective performance metrics, such as ball speed, top […]

  • Post: Best Ideas Rewarded: The Salzburg Open-Air Museum Finds New Digital Solutions

    […] Creators Lab at the Salzburg Open-Air Museum,” won the community vote. The official ranking was announced during an online speed networking event. The following ideas were chosen as winners: Orchard Discovery Trail by MichaelS (1st Place) The idea aims to demonstrate a more sustainable approach to food production and harvesting. By planting fruit trees on the grounds of the Open-Air Museum, the way the food was harvested, processed, and prepared in the past can be demonstrated. This practice also raises awareness of the possibility of producing and storing fruit individually. “The jury was impressed by the idea of a “Orchard Discovery Trail” because it addresses an important theme of the Salzburg Open-Air Museum: the connection between nature and culture. Overall, the jury sees great potential in the idea of a “Orchard Discovery Trail” for understanding the past and present and shaping the future.“ – Michael Weese, Former director of the Salzburg Open-Air Museum Open […]

  • Projekt: KIRAMET – AI-based recycling of metal composite waste

    […] scrap metal must be imported from Austria. The FFG flagship project, KIRAMET, aims to improve metal composite waste recycling with the help of artificial intelligence. Against the backdrop of the European Green Deal and the Circular Economy Package, resource consumption must be reduced by 25 percent and CO2 emissions must be reduced by 55 percent by 2030, while resource efficiency must be increased significantly. Metals have a particularly high ecological footprint due to the use of raw materials, yet they are ideal candidates for recycling. As part of KIRAMET, a classification system for vehicle components is being developed for the first time to evaluate their recyclability. This system will contribute to the design of future digital product passports. Salzburg Research is developing a data model and interfaces to standardize the provision of relevant information from the recycling process for further applications, such as data analysis. Digitalization in the circular economy enables greater transparency when […]

  • Projekt: cells4.energy – Regional energy cells as multi-energy real-world laboratories for rapid system transition

    […] to be replicable in other regions. As part of the project, a real-world laboratory will be established in eastern Austria to carry out demonstration and pilot projects for regional energy systems and communities. This laboratory will test various technologies and systems from technical, economic, and social perspectives. These include innovative local heating networks and regional heating associations; control concepts for system services through energy cells; coordinated charging concepts; hybrid power plants with hydrogen solutions; and comprehensive end- customer integration. The establishment of the real-world laboratory will also enable the development of pilot projects for the digitalization and Internet of Things (IoT) integration of energy systems. A data management system will be developed for regional energy management. Desired results and findings The project aims to develop model solutions that can be replicated in future innovation processes relating to the energy transition or that can accelerate these processes. Specifically, the project is expected to deliver the […]

  • Projekt: PASSAT – Digital Product Passport Austria and Beyond

    PASSAT helps Austrian companies implement the Digital Product Passport, promoting sustainable growth through the circular economy and innovative production processes. The DPP provides reliable product data throughout the entire life cycle, enabling waste reduction, longer product use, and new business models. The PASSAT project develops practical solutions, regulatory recommendations, and training materials. It also implements pilot projects in the textile, electronics, and ski industries. In close collaboration with industry, research, and political stakeholders, PASSAT is paving the way for the widespread adoption of DPPs in Austria to promote greater sustainability and economic success. Funding for this flagship project comes from the Federal Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation, and Technology (BMK) and the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) in Austria, and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and the German Aerospace Center – Project Management Agency (DLR-PT) in Germany.

  • Projekt: Autarkity – Self-Sufficiency in Energy Communities: Expectations, Feasibility, and Obstacles

    […] unique selling point of this exploratory study is the comparison of the willingness to pay for greater energy community self-sufficiency with available technological solutions. The central research question is: “How can the self-sufficiency of an energy community be increased through the combination of different cross-sector technologies, and how does this align with users’ actual willingness to pay for it?” Five essential questions need to be answered centrally, laying the foundation for a larger R&D project: Does the desire for self-sufficiency correspond to an actual willingness to pay? How can the technical potential be put into practice? What framework conditions pose obstacles? What degree of self-sufficiency is economically feasible? What are the ecological benefits of a high degree of self-sufficiency? The questions are accompanied by a stakeholder inclusion process. The goals of this process are to involve stakeholders and industry early on and comprehensively, establish a network for a follow-up project, and develop an implementation roadmap.

  • Publikation: Real-Time Energy Data Aggregation for Energy Communities

    The number of energy communities in Austria is growing rapidly. Their operation primarily relies on standardized processes for data collection, communication, and billing. Beyond collective accounting within the community, further optimizations—such as maximizing self-consumption and minimizing grid feed-in—are severely limited by the lack of real-time data. Accessing real-time energy data directly via the smart meter customer interface and aggregating it at the community level enables more precise load balancing and better utilization of renewable energy sources. This paper presents the Community Aggregation Tool, a modular software solution designed to collect, harmonize, and aggregate real-time energy data from diverse metering systems and protocols. The tool integrates multiple data sources and leverages existing open-source solutions for its implementation. Initial deployments in selected energy communities demonstrate its potential to address key challenges, such as limited data granularity and the heterogeneity of household devices.

  • Post: Young Investigator Award: Innovative Ski Research Awarded

    […] riding technique: Carving had the lowest mean AoA at 6.26°. In parallel ski steering, the average AoA was 18.80°, with a peak value of 32.47°. The transitions showed a characteristic curve with a maximum of 22.13° at the beginning of the swing. These results confirm and simultaneously extend previous research: the angle of attack can be used as a precise indicator of a skier’s technique and style, independent of subjective judgments or complex video analysis. Relevance for practice and training The study emphasizes the importance of AoA as a key indicator for assessing skiing technique. The ability to measure the angle of attack in real time with a sensor opens up new perspectives for training, technique optimization and performance diagnostics in alpine skiing. Coaches and athletes can work on targeted improvements based on data and on an individual basis. With this work, Christoph Thorwartl has given an innovative impulse to ski research. He impressively […]

  • Publikation: Trends, Perspectives, Opportunities, and Challenges with Sensor Technology in Wintersports

    Recent developments in sensor technology have made sensing units cheaper and easier to implement. These developments have made the application of “wearable technology”, or smart sporting equipment appealing to a broad audience allowing measuring metrics of motion quantity (e.g. distance, time, number of cycles) and motion quality, or how well a sport technique is performed. In the current presentation the concept of an instrumented ski boot, an instrumented alpine ski using the PyzoFlex® sensor foil technology and the determination of force components and measures of effectiveness within various cross-country skiing (XCS) techniques applying a push-off model is presented. The Atomic connected boot consists of an IMU mounted on the shaft of the boot. With this concept macroscopic metrics like turn detection, turn count (1) and jump detection (2) were developed while on a more microscopic level a skiing style detection algorithm and carving score concept (3) was established to determine the skiing/carving quality while […]

  • Post: Making Cycling Safer in Constricted Road Conditions

    […] were developed, as well as proposals for asymmetric cycle guidance, for narrow sections, on single lanes, and for participatory processes to involve relevant stakeholders, in order to promote evidence-based decisions on cycle guidance. The recommendations for action form an important basis for practical implementation in cities and communities in the D-A-CH region. The aim is to close existing gaps in the network, make cycling safer and more attractive, and make transport as a whole more climate-friendly. Additional materials: RADBEST final report: Full report with details of the research work and all recommendations for action (188 pages) + executive summary: RADBEST: Radverkehrsführung bei beengten Straßenverhältnissen. Slides from the closing event on 23.01.2025: The slides (including the separate breakout sessions for the 3 countries: Germany, Austria and Switzerland) are available for download here: Abschlussveranstaltung RADBEST – Sichere Radverkehrsführung bei Engstellen: Lösungsansätze für die D-A-CH-Länder Press release with images for download: Studie: Den Radverkehr in beengten Straßenverhältnissen […]

  • Post: Study: Safe Mobility with S-Pedelecs

    […] for commuting. Conflicts arise due to different speeds among S-pedelecs, cyclists, and pedestrians. Riding in mixed traffic increases the risk of accidents. Measures for integrating S-Pedelecs in existing transportation infrastructures Measures have thus been developed to safely and efficiently integrate S-pedelecs into the transport system and to promote their acceptance by other road users. For this purpose, existing legal, planning, and technical framework conditions were analyzed and expanded through interviews with experts and international examples of good practice. The perspectives of various road users were surveyed in focus groups and through extensive acceptance analyzes using a bike simulator. The acceptance of S-Pedelecs by other road users depends heavily on the infrastructure and the legal framework. A clear demarcation and adaptation of usage opportunities on cycle paths and in mixed traffic are crucial. The study shows that targeted public awareness and the promotion of safety measures have a positive effect on the subjective perception of […]

  • Publikation: Synthetic Data for Foot Strike Angle Estimation.

    A runner’s foot strike angle (FSA) can be relied on to assess performance, comfort, and injury risk. However, the collection of FSA datasets is time-consuming and costly, which may result in small datasets in practice. Therefore, the creation of synthetic FSA datasets is of great interest to researchers to improve the performance of machine learning models while maintaining the same effort in data collection. We evaluate data augmentation (jittering, pattern mixing, SMOTE) and synthetic data generation (Generative Adversarial Networks, Variational Autoencoders) methods with four subsequent machine learning models to estimate the FSA on a dataset involving 30 runners across a range of FSAs. The results show promising results for the SVM and MLP, as well as for the jittering and pattern mixing augmentation methods. Our findings underscore the potential of data augmentation to improve FSA estimation accuracy.

  • Post: Awards for the Best Ideas for the Sustainable Use of Resources in Tourism

    […] ceremony on 26.09.2024 under a circus dome in Bischofshofen on Schanzengelände. The following winners were chosen: Das Zero-Wast Cocktail- und Kaffeebar-Erlebnis (Stefan F.) Die Küchenschlacht – Dreckig mit sauberem Gewissen (Doris S.) BergWind Energy – Mit Seilbahnen außerhalb der Ski Saison Strom erzeugen (BergWind Energy) Mission Green – (Awareness) Education (Karim) Grüne Architektur: Nachhaltigkeit im Fokus (basti.scnr) Smarte Matratzen – Nachhaltige Überwachung für optimale Hygiene und Komfort (Walter B.) Nachhaltiges Carnivore Dining – Neudefinition der Speisewahl im Gastgewerbe (Stefan F.) In-depth workshop: Ideas in practice Two winning ideas (Zero Waste Cocktail Bar and Die Küchenschlacht) were further developed by around 25 participants on Saturday, November 9th, as part of an in-depth ideas workshop at the Samrt Tourism Data Jam at GAST. Regionalverband Pongau and LEADER-Region Lebens.Wert.Pongau-Tennengau will work together with the winners on the practical implementation of these ideas. Congratulations to the winners and good luck with further ideas! Salzburg Research’s IdeaSpace ideas platform is all about your ideas! Help us solve questions […]

  • Post: Doctorate of Elisabeth Häusler

    […] integrated approach. Five IoT products from the areas of sport, fitness and health were examined at different stages of development. The dissertation also shows that the success of IoT products is not only based on technological innovations, but also crucially depends on the measurement accuracy requirements resulting from the market strategy. For example, the development of a gadget is fundamentally different from that of a high-precision measuring instrument. These findings led to the development of a conceptual model that incorporates “fitness for purpose” as a dynamic metric. This is intended to ensure that the product fulfills the desired benefits and strategic goals. With this dissertation, Elisabeth Häusler contributes to both scientific research and industrial practice and provides a strategic basis for the successful development of IoT products. We congratulate Elisabeth Häusler on this important milestone in her academic career! Am Bild: Elisabeth Häusler mit ihrem Betreuer Univ.-Prof. Dr. Franz Huber von der Privatuniversität Schloss Seeburg.

  • Publikation: Exploring Outcome-driven Innovation for the Responsible Design of Electric Two-wheelers

    […] societal implementation of new e-mobility innovations is multi-layered and warrants a user-centered view. This study explores how the application of the outcome-driven innovation method (ODI) can be extended to e-mobility and inform a more responsible design of electric two-wheeler product and service development. By means of discovering electric two-wheelers’ possible weak spots and potentials using outcome-driven innovation with citizens, their unmet requirements can be better addressed. The results suggest several innovation potentials which could better facilitate users in getting certain jobs done, such as developing a more lightweight vehicle design. Additionally, the diverse needs of users can be transformed into real customer benefits through the subsequent integration of additional vehicle functionalities, such as complementing human machine interfaces or wearables. By employing outcome-driven innovation as a deliberative and inclusive means of creating value and by being receptive to citizen feedback, ODI has the potential to make a meaningful stride in enhancing the ‘responsible’ nature of innovation.

  • Post: Feedback System for Riders to Avoid Mistakes

    […] can be recorded and the center of mass estimated. Reference data should identify incorrect posture In order to determine whether the acquired sensor data is suitable for this application, Salzburg Research is currently carrying out measurements with riders of different experience levels. Reference data is collected for optimal posture and for characteristic faulty motion sequences. Subsequent data analysis should determine whether the incorrect postures of the riders can be identified in the sensor data. Should the concept prove successful in practice, a digital feedback system can then be developed. It should help riders avoid mistakes and improve their technique. First steps towards digitalization: free-of-charge testing before investing This research project is funded within the framework of the European Digital Innovation Hub’s (EDIH) “Crowd in Motion.” The EDIH “Crowd in Motion” supports businesses and organizations in the digital transformation in the tourism, sports, and leisure industries with tailor-made advice and services, completely free of charge for small and […]

  • Publikation: Development of a simple algorithm to detect big air jumps and jumps during skiing

    Jumping is an important task in skiing, snowboarding, ski jumping, figure skating, volleyball and many other sports. In these examples, jumping tasks are a performance criterion, and therefore detailed insight into them is important for athletes and coaches. Therefore, this paper aims to introduce a simple and easy-to-implement jump detection algorithm for skiing using acceleration data from inertial measurement units attached to ski boots. The algorithm uses the average of the absolute vertical accelerations of the two boots. We provide results for different parameter settings of the algorithm and two types of jumps: Big Air jumps and jumps during skiing. The latter are divided into small (time of flight < 500 ms) and medium (time of flight ≥ 500 ms) jumps. The algorithm detects 100% of Big Air, 94% of medium and 44% of small jumps. In addition, the settings with the highest detection rates also have the highest number of overdetected jumps. To […]

  • Erfolgsstory: Connected Boot: Sensor Technology and Mobile Analysis for Optimized Skiing

    With the Connected Boot, developed by Salzburg Research together with Atomic and the University of Salzburg, skiers receive tailor-made real-time feedback on their own riding technique directly on their mobile phone thanks to state-of-the-art sensor technology. With the Connected Boot, developed by Salzburg Research together with Atomic and the University of Salzburg, skiers receive tailor-made real-time feedback on their own riding technique directly on their mobile phone thanks to state-of-the-art sensor technology. Challenge Sport and movement in everyday life and leisure are becoming increasingly important. The measurement and evaluation of movement quality play an important part here. Atomic wanted to provide the skiers, both professional and amateur athletes, with an opportunity to analyze and improve their technique directly on site. Conventional methods such as video feedback are time-consuming, expensive, and completely not available for recreational athletes. Existing mobile systems are often inaccurate and not geared to specific sports, such as skiing. Solution The Connected […]

  • Event: Rise of the Machines: Is AI Revolutionizing scientists’ work?

    […] What does AI integration mean for the daily work of scientists? Facilitating innovation: (how) can new ideas emerge? Which of the functions of science (such as explainability, experimentation, predictions, testability) are particularly suitable for AI support? Best Practices: Do we need guidelines to ensure the responsible and ethical use of AI tools in scientific research, thereby protecting scientific integrity? Moderation: Siegfried Reich, Managing Director of Salzburg Research Siegfried Reich Managing Director and Head of Research, Salzburg Research Forschungsgesellschaft Welcome: Gabriele Ambros, President of Forschung Austria and CEO of Verlag Holzhausen Gabriele Ambros President of Forschung Austria The panelists Klara Neumayr PhD student, Department of Chemistry and Physics of Materials, Paris-Lodron-University of Salzburg Prof. Dr. Elizabeth Churchill Dept. Chair and Prof. of Human Computer Interaction at Mohamed bin Zayed University of AI Dr. Nikolaus Krall Founder of Allcyte, EVP Precision Medicine Exscientia Prof. Dr. Stefan Woltran Prof. at TU-Vienna with a focus on logic and computation

  • Publikation: An Open Data Set about Multi-Provider Redundancy in Cellular Networks

    More and more applications are benefiting from the ever-increasing performance of wireless communication. Certain use cases in the mobility area (e.g. autonomous driving) demand particularly high reliability, which can be achieved through redundant transmission. In practice, however, it can be difficult to measure and study the precise benefit of redundancy for reliability and therefore, appropriate publicly available data sets are desirable. We provide such a data set about multi-provider redundancy in cellular networks: the performance metrics of redundant transmission channels are measured from a driving car, thus taking mobility into account. A statistical evaluation quantifies the effect of correlation on reliability empirically. In the future, this data set can be used for more detailed and elaborate investigations of the influence of redundancy on reliability. The knowledge thus obtained, about the interaction between redundancy and reliability helps to make new safety- and time-critical applications amenable to wireless communication. An Open Data Set about Multi-ProviderHerunterladen