Six pressure sensors are hidden in the sled of Rupert Staudinger. Born in Bayer, he is a two-time Olympic toboggan runner, a trainer at the German Bob-and-Sledge Association, and a researcher at Salzburg Research. With the help of smart sensors, he is developing a digital feedback system that is supposed to digitize the sport of tobogganing and bring tobogganing professionals ever closer to the ideal line in the ice channel.

The race sled used by Rupert Staudinger at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing is currently more like a high-tech analytical device than a sports device. Six ultra-thin pressure sensors are attached to the sled: two in the shoulder area, two on the handles, and two on the arches of the skates, the so-called “horns.” With the help of this prototype, the two-time Olympic participant is working on the digitalization of his sport. 

Making barely visible movements digitally visible

Racing toboggan athletes steer the sled with the finest weight shifts of the upper body by pulling the grips and pressing the legs on the horns. “Steering is a whole-body movement with fine and well-timed movements that are usually invisible to the naked eye. With my research, I want to make these movements measurable and thus further develop the sport of tobogganing with digital help,” says Salzburg Research researcher and two-time Olympic participant Rupert Staudinger.

So far, the races are usually discussed via radio with the trainers, who are positioned at certain sections of the route, and later in the hotel through video evaluation. In addition, the intermediate times are used to analyze where time was lost.

“Good material, a fast start, low drag, and an ideal driving line are crucial for sporting success in toboggan racing. Real-time data on steering techniques can provide valuable insights for performance analysis and improvement. For example, personalized training plans tailored to individual steering patterns could be developed,” says André Sander from the German Bob-and-Sledge Association.

Detailed work on the sensor setup

The research work of Rupert Staudinger is at the forefront of bringing digitalization into bobsledding and tobogganing. There is no method of measuring steering impulses yet, and whether this works at all or not is currently being researched and tested. The application-oriented research institute Salzburg Research offers the necessary know-how in sensor technology and measurement with new technologies.

“In the beginning, it was important to find a fitting setup for the sensor system: which sensor system is suitable, how many sensors are needed, and where and how they are best installed in order to be able to obtain meaningful data on the interactions of the athletes,” says Staudinger. In an iterative process, the quality of the data is assessed, and whether the collected data reproduces the steering impulses in a way that can be used for further data analysis is researched. It’s still being tested and tweaked in the lab. In a final step, the system is to be tested in a real environment, i.e., directly in the ice tracks.

First steps towards digitalization: Free testing before investment

This research is funded by the European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) “Crowd in Motion.” The EDIH „Crowd in Motion“ supports companies and organizations in their digital transformation in the tourism, sports, and leisure industries with tailor-made advice and services, usually completely free of charge for small and medium-sized businesses, organizations, and public institutions.

The EDIH is an ideal tool for taking the first steps towards digitalization with the know-how of experts, the suitable infrastructure, and a scientific base. Counseling in the area of “Test before Invest” provides the Bob-and-Sledge Association with the opportunity to experiment professionally before a lot of money is invested in a sensor system that may not function properly.

More information in the press info:
Digital im Eiskanal: Mit dem digitalen Rennrodel zur Ideallinie

Elisabeth Häusler and Wolfgang Kremser (Salzburg Research) and Franz Huber (Private University Schloss Seeburg) were honoured with the Dick Marsh Award at the ISPIM Connects Salzburg innovation conference. According to the jury, the paper “Accuracy matters: overcoming challenges in IoT New Product Development through a Data-Value Chain lens” best demonstrates the impact of innovation management.

Accuracy matters: Abstract of the winning paper

Driven by the Internet of Things (IoT), the development of digital-physical products has gained importance in new product development (NPD). Especially for smart products such as wearables, innovation managers need to ensure that the product’s rigor corresponds with the company’s strategy. A key challenge is therefore to ensure appropriate validity and relevance of the collected sensor data in line with the intended use case and the value derived from this data. To address this issue, this paper explores IoT NPD through five case studies from the sports, fitness and health sectors, each at different stages of sensor technology and product maturity. The analysis reveals three challenges in terms of a nuanced understanding of the measurement accuracy of data, information and the value proposition itself. The study concludes with suggestions for potential strategies to mitigate the risks associated with these challenges, which in turn reduces the time and cost of IoT NPD.

About ISPIM Connects Salzburg

The three-day innovation conference ISPIM Connects Salzburg (11-13 December 2023) brought together leading innovation thinkers from academia, industry, consulting and the public sector. The programme included workshops, hot-topic and panel discussions as well as presentations on the latest academic research findings and case studies from industry. Excursions – including to Salzburg Research – made it possible to experience the flourishing innovation ecosystem in and around Salzburg.
www.ispim-connects.com

AI to help combat stress at work. An innovative, scientifically based app aims to provide a personalised and sustainable stress management system. Test subjects are being sought for the prototype.

Many studies show a permanent increase in stress in our everyday working lives. The causes are varied and individual. Personalised recommendations are therefore needed for sustainable stress management. Together with the University of Salzburg and mindcoa.ch GmbH, Salzburg Research is developing a smartphone app for personalised and sustainable stress management in a professional context.

The RELAX app uses artificial intelligence to adapt to personal conditions over the course of use. Sensors worn on the body and regular questionnaires are used to continuously and unobtrusively measure both physical and perceived stress.

By automatically recording stress patterns on several levels – thoughts, emotions and physical reactions – artificial intelligence is used to create an individual stress profile. Based on this, the participants receive support, practical exercises and tips from psychology on how to deal with stress. Participants will gain insights into scientifically sound and tried-and-tested methods in the areas of relaxation, time management, social skills, dealing with conflicts, problem solving, emotion regulation, attitude, fitness and lifestyle.

The RELAX research project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology via the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG).

To strengthen the innovation and business location and its position at the forefront of international research, the federal and state governments are promoting application-oriented cutting-edge research with the COMET programme. The COMET project “Digital Motion”, led by Salzburg Research and the University of Salzburg, has now been approved for funding for four years in a highly competitive process. This will take cooperation between business and science in the field of digitalisation & sport to a new level. With a budget totalling six million euros, work will be carried out in the coming years on digital technologies for more vitality and safety in movement and sport.

The new COMET project aims to bring more vitality and safety to exercise and sport. With the help of digital technologies such as new sensor systems, digital textiles and artificial intelligence, the consortium is developing data-driven innovations for safety and behavioural changes in physical activity. The focus is on incentivising greater vitality and increasing endurance and performance when running, supporting recreational athletes in winter sports and (e-)biking with smart equipment such as helmets and gloves, and supporting people with disabilities through assisted movement, for example with the help of sentient prostheses or exoskeletons.

New standards for digitalisation in sport, fitness and well-being

The COMET project Digital Motion brings together the entire value chain for smart product development, from suppliers of technology components and integrators to product manufacturers and service providers, in order to achieve new forms of interactivity. The goals are more innovative customer experiences, more vitality and safety in sport and movement. Digital Motion will set new standards for digitalisation in sport, fitness and well-being, enabling both professional and recreational sport and rehabilitation to optimise individual performance and achieve goals more effectively.

The COMET project “Digital Motion next level” was highly competitive and was recommended for funding as one of eight projects from a total of 16 submissions. The partners in the consortium come from seven different countries and a total of 16 companies are involved – in addition to well-known large companies such as adidas, Atomic, Infineon, Pierer Innovation and Uniqua, there are also numerous start-ups and SMEs. The competence centre will provide a springboard into cutting-edge research for around 15 PhD students. One innovation from the first four years of the competence centre, the Connected Boot, was awarded the Houska Prize, Austria’s largest prize for applied research, in 2023.

Red-white-red flagship programme for the promotion of cutting-edge research

COMET is the red-white-red flagship programme of business and science for the promotion of cutting-edge research. Funding is provided by the Republic of Austria (BMK, BMAW), the participating provinces of Salzburg, Upper Austria and Tyrol as well as the participating companies and research organisations. Three of the total six million euros available come directly from industry.

More information:

• Press release (in German): Exzellente Technologieforschung in Salzburg: COMET-Projekt Digital Motion geht ins nächste Level
• Website: www.digital-motion.at

In the 24-hour Health Data Challenge, 15 teams with a total of 49 participants took on the challenge of using their technological skills and solving questions from the healthcare sector with the help of “Deep Learning”, “Artificial Intelligence” and other data analysis methods.

The three best teams were filtered out in a two-stage jury process. Third place behind Med Uni Vienna and HTL Sengergasse went to “Team SBG3”, which combined the data science expertise of three Salzburg institutions:
Christina Halmich (Salzburg Research), Devender Kumar (Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Digital Health and Prevention) and Konstantin Emil Thiel (Paracelsus Medical Private University).

The three Salzburg data experts calculated the placement of specialist centres: where in Austria specialist centres with the respective specialties should be located.

“The results of the Health Data Challenge show that highly complex questions can be answered in a short time and that innovative data analysis methods can offer significant added value for the management of the healthcare system and for patients,” congratulates Walter Ruck, President of the Vienna Chamber of Commerce.

The HTL Spengergasse, IHS, Complexity Science Hub, Med Uni Wien, Gradient Zero, Dialogic, AW Software & Technologie GmbH, Gepardec, Salzburg Research, Ludwig Boltzmann Institute and Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg took on the challenge.

Congratulations!

The classification of sleep stages is an important basis for the care of people with sleep disorders. Researchers from Salzburg Research and the University of Salzburg have analysed different machine learning approaches for sleep stage classification based on interval and respiration data. The data for the developed models can be collected with low-cost sensor systems. This makes data collection at home possible to relieve clinical sleep labs.

What does a person in full firefighting gear do in the sauna and on the treadmill? In a laboratory study, we want to find out how risk awareness and impulsivity change due to heat stress.

In front of around 350 guests from business and research, the B&C Private Foundation awarded Austria’s top research achievements with the Houska Prize in three categories for the 18th time at a festive award ceremony on 27 April 2023: University research, research & development in SMEs and, for the first time, non-university research.

In this way, the B&C would like to contribute to strengthening Austria as a business location and also express its appreciation for the outstanding research work being done in this country. In addition to innovation performance, the economic effect is an essential criterion in the awarding of the Houska Prize.

TU Vienna, Salzburg Research Forschungsgesellschaft and Cube Dx win Houskapreis 2023

In the category “University Research”, Michael Harasek, professor at the Vienna University of Technology, won with a process for processing and compressing hydrogen for fuel cells. Elisabeth Häusler from the Salzburg Research Forschungsgesellschaft convinced the expert panels in the category “Non-university research” with the Connected Boot for assessing the quality of skiing. In the category “Research & Development in SMEs”, Bernhard Ronacher, founder of the Upper Austrian company Cube Dx, received the Austrian Research Oscar for “compact sequencing”, a procedure for early sepsis diagnostics.

The three first-place winners each receive prize money of 150,000 euros.

We congratulate all the prize winners and sincerely thank everyone who contributed to this research achievement!

1st place in the category “Non-university research”:
The networked ski boot for assessing the quality of skiing

In sport, the measurement and evaluation of movement quality play an important role. Existing systems are often inaccurate and not geared towards specific sports, such as skiing. With the Connected (CTD) Boot, which was developed by the Salzburg Research Institute and the University of Salzburg, the quality of skiing can be assessed and subsequently improved with the help of various sensor technologies and machine learning. The CTD-Boot can use sensors to measure individual skiing behaviour, calculate skiing-relevant parameters such as angle of ascent or speed, and assess skiing ability with the specially developed and scientifically verified Carving Score. The data is transmitted to the smartphone and can be called up immediately. This was previously only possible in a laboratory. Skiers thus gain better insight into their own performance, can fine-tune their technique and thus improve their skiing experience. This innovation is an important milestone on the way to further digitally connected products.

Houska Prize of the B&C Private Foundation

The Houska Prize was established by the B&C Private Foundation in 2005 to improve the financial basis for innovation and research in Austria and to express its appreciation for the outstanding research work being done in Austria. With a total endowment of 750,000 euros, the Houskapreis is Austria’s largest private prize for application-oriented research. In this way, the B&C Private Foundation is following its foundation purpose of promoting Austrian entrepreneurship and sustainably strengthening Austria as a business location. Prizes are awarded to the best projects from university research and non-university research as well as innovative research achievements by SMEs in three separate categories. The Houska Prize is awarded annually and is named after Wolfgang Houska, a former member of the Foundation. The model for the design of the golden Houska Prize trophy was Hollywood icon Hedy Lamarr, who also went down in history as an inventor.

From the lab to the slopes: In Salzburg’s COMET competence centre “Digital Motion“, innovative sensor technology is being developed and tested to reduce the risk of accidents while skiing in the future. Intelligent sports equipment is to recognise the fatigue of skiers and advise them to take a break in good time.

For many people, alpine skiing is a highly attractive sport that is often only practised on a few days a year, but then for several hours. The combination of high motivation, comparatively little specific training and an intense physical and mental load can lead to fatigue not being recognised in time. However, signs of fatigue are an important reason for handling errors, the consequence of which can be falls and injuries.
Intelligent ski equipment warns in time

Salzburg Research and the University of Salzburg are therefore working together with Atomic on intelligent ski equipment to provide early warning of fatigue. In an alpine skiing study, changes in subjective, physiological and biomechanical parameters were recorded in the course of a physically demanding day of skiing in the Schladming-Dachstein ski area. The findings from the measurements in the laboratory and on the snow are used to develop algorithms for the detection of fatigue. In this way, automated feedback can be generated using training-scientific, biomechanical and sports-psychological factors coupled with know-how in sensor technology, data analysis and artificial intelligence.

The researchers at the Competence Centre are also developing novel interaction concepts for how the ski can pass on its recommendations to the skiers in real time. With innovative, scientifically tested setups of sensors, algorithms and feedback systems integrated into sports materials, ski equipment becomes “intelligent”. 

The research work is financed by the participating industrial companies, the research promotion agency FFG and the province of Salzburg within the framework of the COMET competence project Digital Motion led by Salzburg Research.

Press release with details on the research work and the publication (in German):

• Ermüdung rechtzeitig erkennen: Wenn der Ski zur Hüttenpause rät

Fine-tune your individual carving score with digital help: The Connected Boot provides sensor-based feedback on the quality of movement during each turn and enables mobile analysis for optimised alpine skiing. Skiers are being sought for a study.

Measurement and assessment of movement quality play an important role in sport. However, existing systems often only provide vague information and are not geared towards specific sports, such as skiing. Salzburg Research, together with Atomic and the University of Salzburg, developed the Connected Boot in several research cycles.

With this intelligent ski boot, the quality of skiing is assessed using a variety of sensor technologies and machine learning. Individual skiing behaviour is measured, skiing-relevant parameters such as angle of lift or speed are calculated and skiing ability is assessed with the specially developed “Carving Score”.

Through individual feedback on the quality of movement during each ski turn and throughout the entire ski day, skiers gain better insight into their own performance. They can fine-tune their technique and thus improve the skiing experience.

Would you also like to contribute your ideas to our research work? We are looking for ideas on how e-vehicles can contribute to a stable power grid through smart charging. Find out more: Ideas competition: E-vehicles for stable electricity grids

More than 25 million people in German-speaking countries sleep badly – with serious consequences. An innovative app, the result of joint research by Salzburg Research and the University of Salzburg, aims to provide relief. 

Constant accessibility, high work pressure, a pandemic and other stress factors: More and more people are not sleeping well as a result. At least a quarter of the population in industrialised countries – around 25 million people in Austria, Germany and Switzerland alone – suffers from poor or very poor sleep quality. “Too many people find it difficult to rest and believe they can save on sleep in order to gain time,” says Professor Manuel Schabus, a sleep researcher at the University of Salzburg. “They forget how central sleep is for the recovery of the immune system or even active tasks such as information storage.”

People who suffer from chronic insomnia symptoms, i.e. who have trouble sleeping for a long time, sleep through the night or wake up too early, have an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, obesity and depression, resort to alcohol more often and have a lower life expectancy. The cost to the health system is enormous, increasing 3 to 10 times compared to a person who sleeps well. In the workplace, productivity drops by 10-13 per cent and there is more sick leave and accidents. On top of that, only about 15 per cent of sufferers seek medical help, often only getting medication for acute problems. “We have a societal sleep problem that is rampant and must finally be solved. With a little patience, every person can learn to sleep well,” sleep researcher Schabus continues.

A sleep lab for at home

Classic clinical sleep labs, where brain waves, breathing, muscle activity and eye movements are measured for sleep analysis, are often at capacity and have long waiting lists. In order to make it possible for everyone to have a sleep analysis at home, Salzburg researchers from the University of Salzburg and Salzburg Research have developed a new method for analysing sleep almost as precisely from only heart activity, which is measured at night with a simple sensor. Salzburg Research developed the algorithms behind this and integrated and evaluated the sensor technology for this new app.

That there is a relevant improvement in sleep quality was shown in a study conducted as part of the joint research project. In 50 test persons, the perceived quality of sleep improved by 30 percent, the frequency of waking up decreased by 65 percent and the time taken to fall asleep was reduced by 15 percent. Objective sleep parameters also improved noticeably over the course of therapy.

The technology is now available via the app NUKKUAA, which is offered by a spin-off of the University of Salzburg. Nukkua is Finnish and means sleep. The app offers sleep coaching in the form of info, exercises and tips to improve sleep in the long term.

Download from the app stores and at https://www.nukkuaa.com

Virtual Sleep Lab

The joint research project Virtual Sleep Lab – Virtuelles Schlaflabor was funded by the province of Salzburg/WISS 2025. The University of Salzburg was the consortium leader, and in addition to Salzburg Research, Das Gesundheitshaus GmbH and the Red Bull Athlete Performance Center were also involved.

Our offer:

Salzburg Research was represented at the ECSS European Conference for Sport Science Seville together with partner organisations as part of the COMET project Digital Motion (DIMO). The project consortium presented there:

• Stefan Kranzinger (Salzburg Research) presented the poster on “Predicting the rate of fatigue during skiing on a ski treadmill based on ergospirometric data”. The aim was to predict the rate of fatigue during skiing using ergospirometric data.
• The scientific director of the COMET-Forschungsprojekts Digital Motion, Thomas Stöggl (Red Bull Athlete Performance Center), was invited to present experiences from the project in the Invited Session “How good are we in quantifying Training/Competition Load, Fatigue and Performance? New findings”. Topic of the presentation: Methods and concepts for monitoring training and competition loads: Opportunities and challenges.
• Eric Harbour (Uni Salzburg, PhD in DIMO) hielt in der Konferenz-Session “Ausdauertraining und Testing” einen Vortrag zum Thema “Breath tools: Wie man die Einhaltung der Atemmuster beim Laufen instruiert und quantifiziert”.

COMET project “Digital Motion in Sports, Fitness and Well-being”

Sport should be fun – only then can it become an integral part of lifestyle. Within the framework of the COMET competence centre Digital Motion, led by Salzburg Research, industrial companies are working together with research institutes to develop smart running and skiing equipment.

Around 4 million euros in research funding is available for the COMET competence project Digital Motion for four years. Half of this budget comes from the participating industrial companies, the other half is funded by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency FFG and the Department of Economic Affairs of the province of Salzburg.

The participating companies reflect the complex interplay in the sports and leisure industry: they include component producers and integrators (Suunto, Digital Elektronik, SCIO, Textilveredelung Grabher), sports product manufacturers (adidas, Atomic, Amer Sports), service providers (ABIOS, Red Bull Media House, Gesundheitszentrum Bärenhof, Simpliflow International) and the destination Schladming-Dachstein. Research know-how comes from the Salzburg Research Forschungsgesellschaft (Human Motion Analytics), the University of Salzburg (IFFB Sport and Movement Science and the Center for Human-Computer Interaction) and the École Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (Laboratory of Movement Analysis and Measurement).

Website: www.digital-motion.at

In line with the health policy goal of “outpatient before inpatient”, several organisations in Austria, including Salzburg Research, have joined forces to strengthen the possibilities of home care with digital technologies. With the TeleCareHub, they will realise a new hub for telecare over the next four years.

In Austria, about 116,000 people care for a family member with dementia at home. The associated overload is often recognised too late or suppressed for too long, and relief offers are not sufficiently accepted by all population groups.

In the Austrian lead project TeleCareHub, technology-supported offers are being developed for people in need of care, caring relatives and care service providers. On the one hand, those seeking help should quickly get an overview of existing technical care and support services and receive customised digital support.

App on prescription as a Future prospects

In the future perspective of telecare in Austria, an “app on prescription” is envisaged. A digital health application is being developed and prepared for certification as a medical product. It integrates already existing telesystems with new functions tailored to the needs of the users.

A two-year field study will assess the impact of the new digital health application on the care situation and on the health and quality of life of those affected. The project consortium will also develop recommendations for relieving the burden on informal caregivers, identify barriers to technology acceptance among people with and without a migration background and derive recommendations for reducing mistrust of ICT solutions.

The role of Salzburg Research

Salzburg Research is significantly entrusted with the requirements and acceptance analysis for the overall system and supports the implementation.

TeleCareHub is funded as an Austrian lead project in the FFG programme “benefit” by the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK).

Website: www.telecarehub.at

The analysis of unhealthy gait patterns is an important basis for developing appropriate measures to improve the quality of life of leg amputees. A new portable sensor system makes it possible to collect data in everyday life. Researchers from the Salzburg Research Forschungsgesellschaft proved in a study that the mobile system can keep up with the previous gold standard.

The human gait pattern varies greatly from person to person. It develops and changes due to physical conditions, life circumstances and behaviour as well as the development of individual techniques. Essential categories for a harmonious and flowing gait pattern are left-right symmetry and dynamics.

Amputations change the biomechanical characteristics and thus the gait pattern. Atypical walking requires up to twice as much metabolic energy as typical walking. The analysis of unhealthy gait patterns is therefore very important in order to be able to develop measures to improve the quality of life of those affected. Inpatient gait analysis is therefore an essential part of rehabilitation: prosthesis wearers walk a few steps on a diagnostic mat as part of the current gold standard.

In order to move from this laboratory situation to a more meaningful diagnosis for everyday life, researchers from Salzburg Research have further developed a portable sensor system and evaluated it with regard to scientifically durable results.

From inpatient to outpatient: Everyday data help with rehabilitation

For mobile gait analysis in everyday life, the existing Suralis feedback system from Saphenus was adapted into a data recording system consisting of an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and a pressure measurement sock. Salzburg Research developed algorithms to calculate the stance phase duration and the difference between the left and right leg. The algorithm was evaluated in both prosthesis wearers and healthy adults.

The results confirm: The wearable system is a suitable option for mobile gait analysis. “Leg amputees could wear the system in everyday life and send the measurement data remotely to the supervising doctor. In contrast to the few steps in the laboratory, the significantly larger data set could lead to better diagnostics and thus better care in rehabilitation,” says Severin Bernhart, from the research institute Salzburg Research, which specialises in movement data analysis.

In the future, the mobile sensor system could enable spatio-temporal measurements of gait in everyday environments to support leg amputees in rehabilitation and also enable remote care. For this purpose, suitable interfaces will be developed to enable feedback for those affected on the basis of reliable data collected in everyday life.

More information:

• Success Story: Mobile gait analysis in everyday life for prosthesis users
• Publication: Severin Bernhart, Stefan Kranzinger, Alexander Berger, Gerfried Peternell (2022): Ground Contact Time Estimating Wearable Sensor to Measure Spatio-Temporal Aspects of Gait. In: Sensors 2022, 22, 3132. https://www.doi.org/10.3390/s22093132

Smart textiles can protect firefighters from overheating. Or assist in the product development of sports articles. Our current research helps to maintain well-being and physical and cognitive performance through the use of textile sensors.

In the US alone, 50 firefighters die each year from the effects of overwork that occur in and through an operation. Rising temperatures in a firefighter’s suit lead to a “tipping point” where firefighters can collapse.

Here, smart textiles offer the possibility for low-threshold measurement systems to record temperature, humidity and vital parameters. The combination of traditional textiles, smart materials and electronic components brings intelligence to clothing: This provides firefighters with low-threshold support during their work assignments that is independent of other systems. Intelligent algorithms can automatically initiate warnings and interventions based on sensor data to return vital signs to a state of well-being.

Smart textiles can also support the development of sporting goods. Based on the sensor data, models are created that make complex biomechanical information during the use of sports articles detectable outside the laboratory and contribute to the development of innovative products. This can contribute to a healthier lifestyle in the future and sometimes even save lives.

Texsense is being funded as a cross-state cooperation between Salzburg and Vorarlberg as part of the WISS2025 strategy of the state of Salzburg. Project partners are the Department of Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Salzburg, as well as the technology leader for protective clothing “Texport Salzburg”, adidas, Digital Elektronik and the Grabher Group.

As part of the Digital Motion research initiative, we are looking for female beginning runners and anyone who wants to become one for a scientific study.

Verena Venek spoke at the renowned Women in Data Science format about human motion analytics for an active lifestyle.

At the end of September, the project team hosted the “Digital Motion Day” as part of the Millennium Innovation Days #2021 in Lustenau, Vorarlberg.

Fitness trackers and smartwatches want to make us fitter, slimmer and healthier. But how do we best use the devices to achieve our goals? What about data protection and what might the future of wearables look like?

Christian Stephan talks about these and other questions in the podcast “FutureNow: The Tech & Trend Podcast from MediaMarkt” with health scientist Ursula Meidert from the Zurich University of Applied Sciences and with computer scientist Elisabeth Häusler, head of the Human Motion Analytics Research Group at Salzburg Research Forschungsgesellschaft.

Podcast episode on Spotify

Podcast episode on Apple

Podcast episode on Audio Now

Podcast episode on Podcatcher

Totally focused. Equipped with technology that measures and interprets motion and emotion data. Seamlessly getting meaningful real-time feedback. Interacting through novel interfaces. Enjoying new sports experiences, increased motivation, better performance, improved self-awareness and wellbeing through the link of motion and emotion. This is Digital Motion.

The digitalization of sports enables new experiences, but should not interfere with the sports experience we already enjoy. The ability to measure and interpret multi-sensor data in order to provide real-time feedback by means of advanced human-computer interaction is a major challenge.

Typical issues are: sensor selection and configuration, multi-sensor fusion based on motion data, the quality of captured and interpreted values in the field, appropriate user interaction design patterns and feedback learning rules for seamless interaction in exertion.

In Digital Motion we develop methods and models, technologies and data sets to enable the measuring and interpretation of motion and psychophysiological data. To obtain these data we use multiple product-embedded sensors. We create novel motion quality analytics technologies combining not only motion but also emotion tracking and analysis while being in motion. Thereby, we obtain new insights into the quality of movement.

We aim at going beyond the traditional interaction paradigms and intensify the overall sports experience. Our demonstrator system combine motion data analytics technology and the seamless interaction in exertion with multi-sensor motion data. They address future smart sports equipment: Smart Equipment Customization and Digital Coaches for walking, running and alpine skiing. Bringing these systems from the lab to the real-world.

We are convinced that the combination of motion and emotion will lead into a next level of consumer experience in the area of Digital Sports.

To put this vision into practice, Digital Motion provides a strong consortium of industrial partners that teams up with research institutes and supports the education of young talents.#

Digital Motion in Numbers

In the last two years we have already taken many steps on our way to become one of Europe’s leading R&D projects in the field of Digital Sports. We collected data and evaluated algorithms for human motion and psychophysiological analytics, created novel user experience models, performed lab and field experiments and implemented our findings in first prototypes. Spoken in numbers, we published our findings in 30 papers, we reported about them in 3 scientific keynotes and 8 invited talks and applied for 7 patents. 11 PhDs are currently pursuing their research interests in the project, 5 master and 1 bachelor theses have already been successfully completed. 11 business and 4scientific organizations cooperate within Digital Motion. We are 14 women and 20 men, who combine their skills and pool their knowledge.

Cooperation between business and research

Digital Motion fosters excellent research cooperation between industry and science. Bringing interdisciplinary teams together is essential for addressing the research challenges and the transformation of findings from the lab to the field. To realize this, all partners are actively involved in Digital Motion. Using collaborative technologies and practices like rapid prototyping or participatory design and agile development supports us in interacting across teams. 6-weeks sprints with the whole consortium, half-year consortium meetings, bi-weekly demonstrator calls, PhD paper clubs and writing circles, a Digital Motion PhD lab, our Confluence Wiki platform and the Jira ticket systems are the main pillars behind this agile project organization. Our synergistic style of work enables exchange of expertise across projects and areas and initiates the transfer of ideas across application domains. Although we are so different, we share a common vision. We believe that the combination of motion and emotion will lead into a next level of consumer experience in the area of Digital Sports. Digital Motion creates added value by implementing the entire smart sports equipment value chain, which brings together a world class cooperation structure.

Mid-term review

Having reached the middle of the project period, we can now look back on the past two years where Digital Motion has positioned itself as a competence center with its special focus on linking biomechanics and psycho-physiological data. We have successfully established an internationalleading research group that is able to develop next generation motion data analytics technology and interaction concepts in sports, fitness and well-being equipment. There are two more exiting years ahead of us. From the competences, we have built up and the data we have collected, we will derive further knowledge about the connection of emotion and motion. We will understand which features are relevant for learning and coaching to support better sport experiences. We will further investigate the effects of activity on vitality. On our way to generate new innovative products, we will go further and shift our focus from data collection to algorithm development. We will continue to develop prototypes and perform further field and real-world tests. And we will share our findings.

We are convinced that digitalization of human motion will result in a deeper understanding of people’s activities and performance. We believe that not the “how long” or the “how often” is important but that the “how good”, “how effective” or “how do I feel” are people’s fundamental concerns and that – by use of digital technologies – we can create greater joy, motivation, and wellbeing. This is Digital Motion.

www.digital-motion.at

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

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