Tiny sensor to help golfers improve their swing

RESEARCHERS at UCC are working on the perfect Christmas present for next year, a device that can decode your golf swing.

The matchbox-sized sensor can measure the G-force of a rugby tackle, the speed of an archery arrow, or the precision movements of a tennis ace.

The wireless sensor network is being developed by a team of researchers at the Tyndall National Institute in partnership with University College Dublin and Dublin City University.

The research will benefit fitness and health professionals in the field of physiotherapy in particular, both nationally and internationally, Tyndall researcher Brendan O’Flynn said.

“The work is centred on the placing of networks of sensor systems on or around the body, gathering data about what the body is doing and how it is interacting with its environment,” he said.

The wireless chip can measure ECGs, heart and pulse rates and blood oxygen levels around the body to show which areas might be under specific strain.

“It will enable physiotherapists and sports scientists to evaluate in a scientific manner the performance of elite athletes and create personalised training regimes associated with individual performances. It can show how a person is affected by fatigue and dehydration so professionals can monitor their fluid intake and the length of a practice based on their personalised fitness plan,” Mr O’Flynn said.

The device could prove to be a dream for sports commentators, giving instant feedback on the rugby field for instance, measuring players’ speed, how fast they turn and the G-force of an impact on the pitch.

“What’s most interesting about the work is we can gather information on how people are moving through their environment as part of a highly miniature-movement monitoring system that experts in health care and elite athletes can use to put together a complete picture for more specialised treatment and training programmes,” Mr O’Flynn said.

Researchers are seeking ways to commercialise the product and would ideally licence the technology to SMEs in Ireland to develop the product or investigate start-up opportunities.

Funded under the Clarity Programme by Science Foundation Ireland, the Wireless Wearable Inertial Measurement Systems device is capable of a measurement range and rate that exceeds any commercial solution currently available.

One element of the work is focused on making the devices ‘non-expert user friendly,’ allowing the system to be used by members of the public who might not be to concerned by how the device works, but are happy to wear it to reprogramme a lacklustre golf swing.