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This month, Sports Activated speaks with Mounir Zok, Technical Director at SENSORIZE about the role technology plays in sports performance. Zok holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Bologna, Italy. He is the co-founder of SENSORIZE, specializing in the development of wearable sensors for the analysis of human movement and sports performance.

SA: In your experience with consulting technological and technical issues to coaches, trainers and athletes, is it still difficult to convince them that technology can be beneficial to their work? Many times, coaches prefer their own abilities to measure an athlete’s performance, so can it be a challenge then to have them use the data you provide? How “open” are they to the use of technology in their work?

MZ: Most sports professionals are aware that technology can be a great asset when it comes to the evaluation of performance, and is hence beneficial to their work. What makes them hesitate to embrace this technology is the concern, if not fear, that it might end up replacing their role in the assessment of athletes. When I talk to coaches and trainers about what technology can offer them, I always stress that technology is here to help them and in no way to substitute their work. An analogy I like to use is that an X-ray image gives you an insight but it is the physician who always makes the final the diagnosis.

SA: What are some trends that you see happening in the world of athletic analysis?

MZ: A growing trend is the need for personalized solutions. Coaches want to understand what their athletes are doing during the action, and not only in the gym or through standardized tests. This will require innovation that can analyze specific aspects of sports performance directly in the environment where the action happens: be it water, snow, mud, or sand. Sports technology companies will have to work closely with coaches and athletes, not only to develop solutions, but to also anticipate upcoming needs and address them. I also see an emerging need for a holistic approach to performance analysis. It is not longer sufficient to measure only one aspect of the athlete’s performance; athletes should be assessed from different angles, and under different circumstances, in order to gain a full understanding of their performance level. This will most probably lead to some joint ventures in the industry, as companies and institutes combine their know-how to achieve the adequate solutions.

SA: What are some examples of innovative solutions you have implemented at SENSORIZE that were unique to the sports analysis world?

MZ: Along with the research and development team at SENSORIZE, we are active in studying and investigating areas of sports performance analysis that are still uncharted territory. Two of the most challenging projects that we started working on in 2010 involve skiing and rowing, two sports with extreme environmental conditions and are hence difficult for experimental setups. Thanks to the wireless and compact technology we develop at SENSORIZE, we are working with the Italian Skiing Federation to study the energy expenditure and the forces that skiers undergo while they rush down the slopes. Together with the strength coach of the Italian rowing team, we are also developing cutting edge solutions that identify motor coordination in disabled rowers while they train. This is gaining worldwide acclaim from the international rowing society and the sports science community. This system that we are developing could also open the door to assessing able-bodied rowers, and possibly identifying budding talent among the youth.

SA: What do you think are the most challenging aspects of applying of technology to sport, how you have overcome them?

MZ: Our task is to measure the performance of an athlete without interfering with their performance. So the question becomes, “What sensor devices are required, and how do you attach these sensors to an athlete without altering his or her movement?” We at SENSORIZE have developed small, light, and wireless motion sensors that can be used autonomously on the field thanks to a long life battery and a memory storage system. From hereon, the challenge is to devise innovative ways to incorporate these sensors discreetly into the natural outfit of the athletes.

SA: Are there limitations to what we are able to technologically measure with regards to human performance, and are there some aspects that we simply cannot measure through technology?

MZ: Sports technology should be used to support the coach and trainer, not replace these professionals. Today, despite the technological evolution, the coach and the trainer are the only ones able to judge the real performance level of the athlete. Let us not forget that an athlete is a complex combination of biomechanics, physiology, and psychology; even though all measurements could indicate excellent performance while training, an athlete might perform moderately during a competition. Motivation? Subconscious issues? These are things technology cannot measure or improve.

SA: What new and exciting projects/plans/technological advancements does SENSORIZE have for 2011 ?

MZ: For 2011 we are embarking on many exciting projects, most of which are highly confidential. We are receiving widespread acclaim and success in Italy for our wireless solutions for the evaluation of strength and the real-time monitoring of muscular power during workout. While our aim will be to take this aspect of our work forward, we also constantly strive to expand our area of expertise and wireless solutions. We are currently developing innovative solutions for physiotherapy and personal training, which will be of great benefit to these two disciplines. This will rely on our diligent research and development department as well as our contacts in the sporting and medical world – contacts who always come to us with their new challenges. Need, as they say, is the mother of invention. In our case, it is the mother of innovation.

Originally published in Sports Activated magazine: http://www.sportsactivated.com/March2011