Inescapable Data and the Individual Athlete

The use of Inescapable Data gathering devices can also enhance the performance of participants in a wide range of "personal sports," sports where there is typically a single athlete as opposed to a team, and where advances in skill come from excruciatingly detailed examinations of style and motion. Devices are now being created that provide real-time data about a variety of different aspects of the individual's performancedata that can be analyzed, trended, and cross-correlated with other Inescapable Data sources, both during and after the event. Use of such devices will become prevalent among the celebrity competitors, in turn creating consumer demand that will eventually drive their widespread adoption and mass-market availability.

The Swimmer's Edge

Historically, it has been hard for swimmers to understand the details of their motion through water. A coach is needed to walk alongside of a swimmer while trying to see a swimmer's movements both above and below the water line. Dr. Rod Havriluk, president of Swimming Technology Research (STR) explains that "until recently, the best option available to a swim coach was the use of underwater and surface video cameras. At least he could then make a qualitative analysis of motion. What has been missing is widespread use of quantitative data."

Havriluk's company manufactures a system (Aquanex) that measures the forces on both hands throughout the swimmer's entire stroke cycle via sensors that are worn between the middle and ring fingers. These sensors transmit continuous force data via wireless connection to a nearby computer that calculates peak force, average force, impulse, pull time, recovery time, stroke rate, and stroke length. The data is then stored in the computer for later review or analysis. A graphical display of a particular force curve can be compared to a hypothetical optimum curve, helping swimmers to truly understand what to improve.

"For the past 100 years, many swimmers have relied on the Olympic champ as the model for technique. But, even the fastest swimmers have ineffective elements in their style. That's why there needs to be an emphasis on quantitative data. An increased use of quantitative data will help make technique improvements over the next 100 years."

For swimmers, the lack of force data has been a critical missing piece of competitive information. There are many aspects of a swimmer's stroke that can be improved with a force analysis. "For example, even in breaststroke many swimmers do not exert the same amount of force with both arms. Once we show them the data graphically, they understand it and can focus on minimizing the difference. Similarly, in the crawl, we often see technique limitations in both the 'pull phase' and the 'push phase.' Many swimmers waste motion on the pull and then fail to take advantage of their strength on the push. Once they see their force data, they understand how to make the technique changes that will increase force, and therefore, make them swim faster."

"From the deck of a pool or even with an underwater camera, it is impossible to determine force variations. Once we have the data in digital form, we have great opportunities for additional analysis, such as tracking the progress of a single athlete or correlating performance with body measurements and training regimens." Connect the data points together and discover new and unforeseen relationships that can be used to improve performanceInescapable Data in action.

Connected Swim Meets

Although the swim sensor might be economically out of reach for the typical local club's swim team, some interesting thematic variations are worth noting that also exploit data connectivity.

The organizers of a small but progressive swim team in southern New Hampshire historically posted its individual members' results in real time to their Web site. As they became more knowledgeable with their use of the Web, they started to also post race schedules, including lane assignments and start times. (As many parents of swim team members will commiserate, a swim meet is typically 4 to 6 hours of nothing but waiting for your child to swim two 30-second events.)

They then discovered that many parents at the swim meet would call home to ask someone with Web access to learn of the actual result times or lane assignments. To remove that informational speed bump, the organizers decided to bring a wireless hub to each event that provides free WiFi-based Internet access to anyone at the event. Poolside.

Many parents now bring their laptops to the swim meets to monitor individual race results, and to surf the Web while waiting between important events. (In the Inescapable Data world, a pervasive communicator [i.e., cell phone or PDA device] would be the choice of connectivity mavens.) Nonetheless, the data is there, and with a few innocent key-clicks, parents can drop the results into an Excel spreadsheet and compare a favorite swimmer's results against others in the same age group, against local weather conditions, time of day, what the swimmer had for breakfast, water temperaturewhatever. Why? Because they canarmed with their connectivity toys.

Running with Inescapable Data

In 2004, Adidas introduced a consumer-priced computer sneaker called "1." Think of it as the first high-tech sneaker. It sports an embedded force sensor, computing chip, and micromotors. So, in addition to it being the latest in geek fashion, think of it also as a member of a new apparel categorywearable technology.

The sensor, located in the sneaker's heel, takes up to 20,000 force readings per second. It communicates these readings to the embedded computer chip that, in turn, directs tiny motors distributed throughout the shoe to make small shape changes. Adidas claims that this is the first footwear product that can change (and personalize) its characteristics in real time. As noted, manufacturers in general are increasingly using technology to differentiate products and capture market interest. So, if it is a customized running fit you're after, 1 is the shoe for you.

As useful as a shape-changing sneaker is in providing a customized fit, there is another dimension that perhaps Adidas has not embraced yet. Although 1 is not an Inescapable Data collection device, it could be, much like the swimming or car sensors. If the sneaker were Bluetooth-enabled and could dump its data to a computer in some XML format, runners could gain new performance insights just like swimmers can by using the finger-attached force sensors. Using embedded GPS sensors, runners could also correlate the force sensor data with GPS data to map performance during a race to course conditions (uphill, downhill, flat) and save that data for historical trend analysis.

Adidas could also sell special software that allows runners to self-coach and pattern-match running styles against famous athletes, or simply others of the same age and weight. Avid runners are typically concerned about overall health effects of runningboth good and bad. Although the cardio workout is good, the pounding done to the knees and other body parts is not so good. As runners ourselves, we would value occasional insight into style, force impact, and speed. Plus, as natural competitors, we are also interested in comparative data. (How does my running style compare to other middle-aged, slightly overweight, and slightly bald men?) We like scorecards, and we use them as personal motivators.