A training system for badminton players utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) that was developed by university researchers and Victor Rackets Industrial Corp is being tested at a Tainan high school, researchers told a news conference at the Ministry of Science and Technology in Taipei yesterday.
Designed to give customized training to athletes, the system combines image recognition, racket motion trajectory, biosignal analysis and a cloud platform for data analysis, they said.
The system is comprised of a badminton racket with a built-in sensor for recording motion, a smart watch, a brainwave sensor and a camera attached to goggles to record biosignals, said Tsai Chia-liang (蔡佳良), director of National Cheng Kung University’s (NCKU) Institute of Physical Education.
Photo: CNA
The sensor in the racket initally weighed 9.5g, but Victor Rackets was able to optimize the design of the racket handle to keep the weight to within 6g, Tsai said.
The system has been tested by badminton players at National Hsin-Feng Senior High School in Tainan, home to badminton teams that have won several national competitions, he said.
The research team created an experimental field at the school equipped with cameras to capture players’ movements, said Wang Jeen-shing (王振興), a professor in NCKU’s department of electrical engineering.
Reading collected signals through machine learning and integrating all the functions to yield precise analyses were the main goals for developing the system, Wang said, adding that the researchers hope the system will be used by professional players.
To protect players’ personal data, each smart racket has an identification code, but Victor Rackets might later include encrypted information protection services for different levels of players, he added.
Hsin-Feng badminton coach Lee Yi-hsun (李宜勳) said the system allows her to better understand her players’ physical condition, and the students have been inspired by the devices to work harder to improve their performance.
Victor Taiwan marketing and sales division deputy director Elvis Ke (柯泓全) presented the high school with 45 smart rackets during the news conference.
The company’s main competitors in developing smart rackets are Chinese brands, but it is confident that it will gain the upper hand, Ke said.
Tropical storm Guchol is moving in a northeasterly direction off the east coast of the Philippines and will not hit Taiwan, but will impact local weather starting on Friday, the Central Weather Bureau said Thursday. The storm would bring a low-pressure system northward toward the vicinity of Taiwan, forecaster Chao Hung (趙竑) said. Northern Taiwan will see intermittent rain showers in the morning, and thunderstorms in the afternoon on Friday, he said, adding that rain would be heavier on the east coast and in the central-southern mountainous areas. Rainfall would continue into Saturday, and would spread throughout Taiwan proper, he
Exiled Chinese democracy advocate Wang Dan (王丹) yesterday denied an accusation by former Taiwanese political worker Lee Yuan-chun (李援軍) that Wang had sexually harassed him in a hotel room in New York nine years ago. There was a huge gap between Lee’s accusation and his own understanding and memory, Wang wrote on Facebook, adding it was hard for him to respond further regarding a “unilateral description” made by someone else. Wang made the remarks after his initial response on Facebook was met with criticism, with people saying he did not directly address the allegation. Lee on Friday wrote on Facebook that he
Chinese Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu’s (李尚福) focus on Taiwan at the Shangri-La Dialogue reflects Beijing’s concern over the increasing international focus on cross-strait issues, two Taiwanese experts said. In a speech at the annual security summit in Singapore on Sunday, Li said that the “Taiwan question” is a core interest and a Chinese internal affair that “brooks no interference from foreign forces.” Taking a thinly veiled jab at the US, Li complained about “countries” that raise tensions by repeatedly selling arms to Taiwan, providing it with military training and upgrading the level of official bilateral exchanges. Beijing would not tolerate “attempts
A man was arrested in Hsinchu on Saturday on suspicion of filming women in the women’s washroom of a shopping mall in the city, local Chinese-language media reported on Thursday. The man was arrested at around noon on Saturday when a woman using a stall in the mall’s washroom noticed a cellphone being held above her from the neighboring stall, reports said. The woman ran out of the washroom and yelled to her husband to help her, after which the suspect – who was dressed as a woman – attempted to flee, but was subdued by other men until police
RSS