Football
Lab is
an
interactive
football-traning
platform
located
in
Herning,
Denmark. The
platform
is
developed
by the Alexandra Institute and Munin Sports.
In this sub-project, I have used the platform as a tool for exploring
opponent formats
in computer-supported
physical
games
in
collaboration
with
Majken
K. Rasmussen. We have designed a game mechanics framework that aims to elucidate how the perception of a competition differs, depending on the opponent format.
In the next part of the project, we will utilize the Football Lab, in
order
to
create
new
computer-supported
physical
games
that
can be
used
in
technical
football
training. We
are
currently
developing
games
that
seek
to
improve
players
peripheral
vision
and
their
ability
to
create
an
overview
of the
field
and
"stay
ahead"
of the
game,
while still
controlling
the ball.
In
this
project,
we
have
instrumented
an
M-Station
(see muninsports.com)
with
piezo
sensors
in
order
to
track
the
position
and
speed of
impacting
balls. The
M-Station
is a
270x270
cm
frame strung
with
wire,
and
capable
of
returning
any
ball
with
95% of
its
speed. By
adding
a
projector
and a
screen,
we
have
created
a
platform
for
development
of
interesting
games
for
ball
sports
training.
We
hope
to
utilize
this
platform
to
help
different
ball
sports
practitioners,
such
as
tennis
players
or
handballers,
to
increase
their
technical
skill
level. The
aim is
to
increase
the
quality
of
training
in
general,
and
enjoyment
especially
of
repetitive
training. However,
the
platform
is not
limited
to
sports
training and
holds
possibilities
for
numerous additional
applications.
In
close
relation
with
Club
La
Santa,
we are
trying
to
develop
a
device
with
the
ability
to
measure
different
parameters
in
athletes'
running
technique
in
real-time
outside
a
running
lab. By
measurring
and
recognizing
these
parameters,
we
hope
to
enable
an
opportunity
for
creating
a
interactive
training
device
that
can
help
runners
improve
their
technical
skill
level
and
possibly
reduce
the
number
of
injuries
seen
with
inexperienced
runners. We
are
currently
experimenting
with
different
prototypes,
based
on the
Arduino
platform. Important
questions
that
is
investigated
in
this research,
besides
how to
sense
the biomechanical
parameters,
are;
what,
when
and
how to
interact
in the
dynamic
and
complex
environment
of a run.