Prepared for tasks in the industry: Sports practical exhibition week in Brno

At the end of the 2nd semester, students of the Master’s program Sports Technology were prepared for tasks in the industry during a practical sports measurement week in Brno. One focus was on the differences between laboratory and field measurements. While dry and pleasant conditions prevail in a protected laboratory environment, field measurements often require finding short-term solutions for optimal measurement conditions. In addition to the vagaries of the weather, the partial lack of power supply outdoors posed an additional challenge.

The students were taught the basic knowledge for these measurement projects in the first two semesters. Among other things, they learned how to develop measurement chains, evaluate measurement data and apply machine learning. Practical exercises in the laboratory and theoretical lectures were also part of the course. In this measurement week, the students had to put what they had learned into practice.

The students were supported by Philipp Neumeister, Willy Hendel, Christoph Mohl, Stefan Litzenberger, Otto Hofstätter and Markus Eckelt (lecturers in the Sports Technology Master’s program and employees of the Sports Engineering, Biomechanics & Ergonomics competence field). The event took place in cooperation with the Technical University of Brno.

All planned measurements had to take place within 5 days

The participants were under time pressure, as all planned measurements had to be performed within 5 days. Among other things, cables were damaged at a motocross track near Brno and had to be soldered on site for repair. Such events increased the time pressure additionally and led to the fact that in the remaining days a higher number of measurements per day had to be carried out on test persons in order to stay within the time schedule.

During the measurement week, various projects were worked on. For example, forces on bicycle trailers were measured in cooperation with the company SCOTT Sports. The goal was to quantify these forces in order to optimize later finite element analyses on the computer and thereby adjust the thickness of the axle, for example.

In addition, temperature and humidity measurements were also performed on mountain bike protectors in Brno to assess their performance. GPS and drone video analysis were then used to compare the activities of athletes, both on the flat and in positions with inclines. Matching algorithms were developed to optimize movements based on these experiences.

Analysis of pullup variations, to maximize muscle activity

Another project involved the analysis of pullup variations (chin-ups) to identify the variation that leads to the highest muscle activity. Another group of students dealt with beach volleyball. Here, Inertial Measurement Units, IMUs for short, were used to record typical movements (e.g. serve, block) and classify them based on the data obtained. The goal here was to develop an algorithm that applies to very different people, amateurs as well as professional athletes.

The goal of the fair week in Brno was to enable the students to get in contact with companies and to work on topics that are relevant for the industry. The companies also provided them with the necessary equipment. The students had the opportunity to meet with representatives of the companies and to present and discuss their findings. Perhaps one or the other topic will lead to a master’s thesis….

In their free time they explored the old town of Brno

An important goal of the sports practical exhibition week was that the students also develop an understanding of product management. They should not only know how EMG measurements work, but also understand the implications of statistical analysis. Some scientific aspects may be less relevant to some audiences. But charts and graphs in such cases can help make the meaning of the results understandable to those who are not as technically savvy.

On one evening, a colleague from the Brno University of Technology kindly acted as a guide, the participants also explored the old town of Brno and enjoyed company tours and a dinner financed by Erasmus-Plus.