Noticia en español: http://sl.ugr.es/09n3
The system allows to gather information about frequently analyzed variables such as starting time, turning time, finishing time, stroke rate, stroke length, emersion distance, etc.
More than a hundred swimmers participated in a study to test this system in the UGR Faculty of Sports Science pool
The pool at the Faculty of Sports Science of the University of Granada (UGR) has recently held a swimming competition in which a new system was applied to automatically analyze some important variables.
This new scientific procedure allows to gather information about frequently analyzed variables such as starting time, turning time, finishing time, stroke rate, stroke length, emersion distance, etc. Moreover, the system can be used to automatically measure the pass-by time every 5 meters and partial times every 25 meters.
The system, called S.W.I.M. (Specific Water Innovative Measurements applied to the development of International Swimmers in Short Swimming Events (50 and 100m)), has been developed thanks to two funding programs: one from the Regional Government of Andalusia (Infrastructure Funding Project), and the other from the National Funding Program (I+D+i) 2014-2018. The system has been developed by the Research Team for Physic and Sport Activity in Aquatic Environments CTS-527 (UGR).
Eight video-cameras over the pool
The system consists of eight video-cameras located in the pool’s ceiling and connected to a computer, which allow to simultaneously record all of the pool’s surface. Footage is recorded at a frequency of 83.33 Hz and is later processed by the software developed by the research team, which is synchronized with the competition’s timekeeping system.
The research team CTS-527 is one of the world leaders in the analysis of sports competitions, having carried out its work more than 16 times in «Open» Spain Absolute Championships, in 3 Olympic Games and in 3 World Swimming Championships.
Until now, data gathering was done manually. This new system automatically detects pass-by times as well as the instant in which a stroke is made or when the swimmer reaches a wall, using video-graphic and image recognition methods.
The technology developed by the team will be applied to the development of individual evaluation tests for every swimmer, to monitor trainings with several swimmers per lane, to track water polo players, and to monitor freestyle activities in the pool.
The companies that have developed the project after the tendering process are BiosTechnology and FAICO. The whole process has been coordinated by the National Funding Program’s IP Raúl Arellano Colomina, head professor at the UGR, along with professors Gracia López Contreras and Esther Morales Ortiz, all of them working in the field of aquatic activities.
The competition held at the UGR will allow to check the system, since the video-graphic record was done using the new system as well as the traditional one.
Moreover, the project is analyzing other aspects such as the assessment of muscular power and its connection with swimming speed, the evaluation of variables measured in the counter-current channel, and the three-dimensional analysis of the starts. Some aspects of the project have been developed in collaboration with the Center for High Performance (CAR, from its abbreviation in Spanish) in Sierra Nevada (Granada, Spain), the Royal Spanish Swimming Federation and the Andalusian Swimming Federation.
All of that has been carried out with the voluntary participation of swimmers from the province of Granada and their various swimming clubs. Moreover, international, Olympic level swimmers which carry out some sort of activity in the pool have participated in the project as voluntary subjects, such as Mireia Belmonte, Velimir Stjepanovic, África Zamorano, Miguel Durán and Juan Lluis Pons.
Contact:
Raúl Arellano Colomina
Departamento de Educación Física y Deportiva, UGR
E-mail: arellano@ugr.es / natacion@me.com
Telephone: (+34) 958 244 388