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.
Tainan City Councilor Lu Kun-fu (盧崑福) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday sparked further controversy when he echoed remarks by KMT caucus whip Alex Fai (費鴻泰) that Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) should be executed for an increase in domestic COVID-19 cases. Chen heads the Central Epidemic Command Center. Lu at a question-and-answer session at the Tainan City Council said that a lapse in disease prevention measures at China Airlines, which has led to a cluster infection, could have been controlled. However, as the airline’s pilots were allowed a shortened quarantine period of three days and were placed
DATA-DRIVEN: The dedicated department used big data to find sexual harassment hot spots on the Mass Rapid Transit system to take measures against perpetrators Most incidents of sexual harassment and secret photography in Taipei’s MRT metropolitan railway system over the past five years occurred at three stations, the Rapid Transit Division of the Taipei City Police Department said in a statement yesterday. Most incidents were recorded at Zhongxiao-Fuxing MRT Station, followed by Taipei Main and Zhongxiao-Dunhua MRT stations, the department said, adding that the results were obtained through big data analysis. The system, which serves Taipei and New Taipei City, handles about 2.2 million passengers per day, and most cases of secret photography and sexual harassment — usually involving touching a victims buttocks or chest
‘STAY CALM’: The nation has more than 800 million masks in stock and can produce up to 40 million a day, while hand sanitizer stocks are also sufficient The nation has an ample supply of masks to meet demand amid concerns over an increase in the number of domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said on Tuesday. Taiwan has more than 800 million masks in stock, with daily production of 18.3 million units on average and maximum daily capacity of 40 million units, the ministry said on Facebook. The ministry’s assurance came after Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), on Monday said that the nation has entered the community transmission stage after several new domestic
EYES AND EARS: The navy has commissioned the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology to manufacture radars to upgrade the nation’s naval monitoring stations A military enthusiast yesterday posted photographs of Taiwanese F-16 jets taking off from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu with two refueling aircraft, presumably returning to Taiwan from the US for upgrades. Asked about the matter, the Ministry of National Defense declined to comment. The jets had been part of training at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona and had briefly landed in Honolulu, where the photographer, Aeros808, had spotted them, a source said. The jets did not land in Guam, which had been done in 1996 when the US Air Force delivered F-16s to Taiwan, the source said, adding that the
RSS