With the rapid development of computer science and information technology, AI has been developed from theory to application. As a key technology in modern society, AI increasingly affects all aspects of people’s daily lives, including sports training. AI can be considered an assistive technology to support athletes’ physical education training through various means, such as data analysis and simulation of training scenarios. 

 Although research on AI is still in the preliminary stage, exploring how AI can be applied in sports training is significant since this emerging technology could facilitate people’s physical training to some extent. It has the potential for sustainable development in physical education training as long as the fundamental theoretical structure appropriate for this goal is built when integrating with other fields. As in most other areas of society, an increasing amount of data is being collected in different physical activities, and the utilization of AI for automated data analysis has become an important research direction. 

 Since traditional statistical methods are slow and inaccurate, automated data analysis with AI has been widely used. AI can simulate human learning, thinking, perception, and actions using advanced computer algorithms, and actually, the AI system is self-learning. Analyzing physical activity data can deepen the human exploration of sports science and improve the sports personnel’s decision-making ability in optimizing physical training and competitive strategies. 

 In this context, IIT Madras is developing smart training solutions to help India bag at least 25 gold medals in the next ten years. 

Reduce foreign help 

 To help Indian athletes win more medals, starting with the Paris Olympics 2024, the IIT Madras is developing tools and software to maximize preparation and training. 

From an intelligent boxer aimed at providing assessments of Indian boxers on specific parameters to a wearable sweat monitor, the idea now is to help players and coaches and reduce dependence on foreign help. 

Officials say that foreign countries are reluctant to share their technology freely, so Indian athletes are disadvantaged and forced to travel abroad for training with advanced sports technology. 

Mahesh Panchagnula, the head of the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Sport Sciences and Analytics at IIT Madras, told PTI that many of their athletes go abroad to train. They rely a lot on foreign technology and coaches. This is a great drain on the exchequer and does not benefit a broad base of athletes.  

The team is now working with the sports authority of India (SAI). 

Numerous training 

Additionally, the center focuses on creating a sustainable and scalable model for India by developing indigenous technology to train athletes. The researchers are designing solutions based on AI and IoT for sportspersons. 

Among the technologies being developed by IIT Madras are a combat sports lab, a performance model for archery, low-cost custom imaging, a wearable sweat monitor, a wearable ultrasound monitor, ball-fight dynamic models, force plates, hyperbaric oxygen therapy and food scanners. 

According to Babji Srinivasan, an associate professor at IIT Madras, they have developed a cost-effective boxing analytics platform ‘Smartboxer’ to increase India’s boxing medal tally at the 2024 Olympics. 

Working on the model 

The system uses IoT-based sensors and video cameras to provide analytics about player performance. 

The model involves sensor-embedded gloves to analyze punch force, a wireless foot insole with a pressure sensor to record ground reaction force, wireless EMG sensors to record movement in the player’s lower body and an inertial measurement unit to record movement in the player’s upper body.  

The information extracted from this multivariate data provides fight analytics that can help coaches and judges quantify the key traits of boxing champions. The system allows us to analyze the processing performance of the boxer. It will be able to highlight to the boxers their strengths and areas that require development, such as patterns of movement, activity levels, punch and defensive repertoires- both technically and tactically. 

In the long run, the CoE plans to offer a four-year online program in Sports Science and Analytics in partnership with sports bodies. 

Sources: 

PTI 

The Hindu 

Exploring the Application of Artificial Intelligence in Sports Training: A Case Study Approach