Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras and Inspire Institute of Sports (IIS) Bellary are developing a cost-effective boxing analytics software to boost India's boxing medal chances for the 2024 Olympics. The IIT Madras and IIS Bellary are developing a multi-version software for boxing analytics called ‘Smartboxer'. The software aims to provide an above-par competitive edge to Indian athletes with feedback and performance assessments using Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled wearable sensors and video cameras.
‘Smartboxer' will be deployed to analyse the boxers' performance at Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS). Based on the feedback from IIS, changes will be incorporated into the ‘Smartboxer' analytics platform. This will enable the software to be effectively used to assist coaches and boxers.
Explaining the feature of ‘Smartboxer', Professor Ranganathan Srinivasan, Head, Center of Excellence for Sports Science and Analytics, IIT Madras said: “This technology that is being developed will act as a bridge between the coach and the elite athlete to identify, understand and improve the performance constructively. 'Smartboxer' is one among the many initiatives of IIT Madras aimed towards the Indian government's ambitious goal of winning more medals in the Olympics."
The findings gathered from the sensors and video cameras will be merged to provide comprehensive boxing analytics to provide information about key traits of the boxer. These traits are evaluated in the Olympics for scoring in boxing matches. They include quantity and quality of punch, the dominance of the engagements and competitiveness.
John Warburton, Head of Youth Development (Boxing), Inspire Institute of Sports (IIS), said: “This system will allow us to analyse a boxer's performance in a way that aids progression. We will be able to highlight to the boxers their strengths as well as areas that require development such as patterns of movement, activity levels, punch and defensive repertoires – both, technically and tactically. I am greatly excited by the system's potential to use data and artificial intelligence in a bid to identify coaching points and support our observations of the athletes.”
The research on boxing analytics software involves the use of IoT-based sensors and video cameras to provide analytics about player performance which includes gloves to analyse Punch Force, 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 inertial measurement unit to record movement in player's upper body, among other activities.
