Para World Championships provided opportunities for important research
Last week, a couple of different research projects were carried out by Mid Sweden University and NTNU in connection with the Para World Championships in cross-country and biathlon in Östersund.
The research will contribute to the development of parasport and in one of the projects run by the Sports Tech Research Centre, digital escorts have been tested.
"Eleven people with visual impairments have tested digital companions in classic skiing, alpine skiing and running on a treadmill. After the tests, they have answered questionnaires and one response is that they would like to have a similar system for outdoor activities in the area where they live," says Jonas Danvind, parasport coordinator at Mid Sweden University.
In its role as a Swedish Sports University, Mid Sweden University has a special assignment to work specifically in parasport, aimed at education and competence hubs for winter parasports. In recent years, a number of research projects have been carried out on, among other things, equipment development and evaluation of equipment, classification, performance development, training and health.
"Together with the rest of society, we can contribute to better opportunities for people with disabilities, both in sports and outdoor life, as well as in everyday life. Several actors can quickly make important efforts and Mid Sweden University is needed to develop and evaluate. Parasport Sweden has collaborated with us for many years and since the snow sports were moved to FIS this summer, they are also interested in strong collaboration, says Jonas Danvind.
Eleven people participated in the tests and here Anne-Lie Telning is seen skiing away guided by the digital escort. Photo: Pelle Fredriksson.
The digital companion technology means that the athlete is guided by the system emitting audio signals via so-called skull headphones. The athlete is given a corridor of about 60 centimetres to stay within when moving forward, and in the headphones, the athlete receives different signals in the ears depending on whether they are lying correctly or incorrectly in relation to the intended route. The system also provides spoken information that describes different parts of the route, such as turns or when it's time to get off the lift.
"The participants highlight independence as a great advantage. With the system, you can be active when you feel like it and bring a friend or relative who does not need to act as an escort. A lot of resources are otherwise used to plan well in advance with assistance. The participants were also very positive about the whole weekend, which also included attendance at the World Championships, visits to the Sports Tech Research Centre, ski training and competition on Östersund's competition tracks," says Jonas Danvind.
The technology around the digital companion is developed by the company Nordic Evolution and the tests are part of the research project Augmented Sports that Mid Sweden University is carrying out at the Sports Tech Research Centre, with partial funding from Östersund Municipality through the project Östersund Ski Stadium – International Digital Guide Arena and the European Regional Development Fund.
"The system can be used for several other activities and during the year we will continue research studies in running, swimming and hiking, among other things," concludes Jonas Danvind.
Read more about Augmented Sports.
Read more about Nordic Evolution.
Contacts:
Jonas Danvind, parasport coordinator at Mid Sweden University and Nordic Evolution AB, jonas.danvind@miun.se, 070-332 33 56
Mikael Bäckström, Principal Investigator and Professor, Sports Tech Research Centre, Mid Sweden University, mikael.backstrom@miun.se, 070-540 06 74
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