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The virtual world of swim analysis |
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Swimming coach John Fowlie uses a performance analysis system to examine the technique and action of an elite swimmer.
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The new pool in the $17 million Recovery and Swim Centre boasts 24 video cameras mounted above and under the water and around the pool's perimeter.
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If the world thinks our Aussie swimmers are good now it had better watch out, because a revolutionary new hi-tech pool in Canberra is going to make them faster than ever.
The Australian Institute of Sport's (AIS) new facility is so technologically advanced that it can process a wide range of data rapidly and display this information alongside video images in real time, for coaches to make accurate assessments at the pool.
The space-age pool will very soon - and for the first time - produce an instantaneous and fully computerised biomechanical 3D model of a swimmer in motion.
It contains an Aladdin's Cave of gadgetry - much of it invented and developed right here in Australia - which is designed to bring home a truckload of Olympic gold medals from the pool in London in 2012.
To help nurture the next generation of Aussie Thorpedos, 24 video cameras are mounted above and under the water and around the pool's perimeter, all connected to the computer's display systems.
The biomechanical analysis systems includes machine-vision cameras linked to the analysis computer that record at the lightning fast speeds of 100 frames a second, four times faster than previously used cameras.
Every move the swimmers make is recorded. Instrumented start blocks measure the force, power profile, velocity and angle of a swimmer's movements as well as the timing of a swimmer's start. Force transducers in the walls behind touch pads at the end of some lanes provide data on turn force, power profiles, timing and push-off angles, as well as vital statistics for starting backstrokers.
A series of timing gates wired with magnetometer sensors time swimmers with pinpoint accuracy.
From these sources the computer captures vision, times and forces so everything can be displayed on one plasma screen in special control rooms where coaches can watch various biomechanical parameters and video footage simultaneously a frame at a time.
It's Swimming Australia's very own Mission Control.
Such 3D models have been produced for track and field athletes but the optical problems associated with measuring in water (the refraction of light and the lack of visibility caused by splashes) have made it impossible for swimming, until now.
According to the head of the AIS's Aquatics Testing Training and Research Unit, Dr Bruce Mason, the days of studying video images from just one angle are gone.
"This new 3D skeletal model image can be rotated so every conceivable angle can be viewed," he said.
"What is so crucial is the start a sprint swimmer gets. If they enter the water inefficiently they'll lose velocity, so we need to know precisely the size of the area where they enter the water and what velocity they lose during entry.
"Our equipment provides us with all the crucial start data and because our computers can process it so quickly we can immediately determine the force generated by swimmers' movements, their power profile and their velocity and angle. It's an instant biomechanical report card."
Coaches then identify force profiles and compare videos and statistical information with those of other swimmers to identify inefficiencies. Then they can get down to the nitty-gritty of altering a swimmer's technique.
This is a new world for coaches too. They previously relied on graphs and printouts but always yearned for more visual tools.
Now they sit in control rooms surrounded by the very latest analysis equipment and the AIS's new software programs which allow video images and force profiles to be shown together on the same screen.
At the click of a mouse, coaches and scientists can instantly tap into a vast wealth of data and video footage related to every aspect of the swimmer's movements.
It's enough to make your head swim.
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AIS, CSIRO and Monash University are using computational fluid dynamics in the pool to test proposed changes to a swimmer's style through a computer model before asking the swimmer to make any physical changes: change that may not be reversible |
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All the super-pool's equipment is permanently housed in air-conditioned environments which protects it from water damage. Rather than a plasma screen lasting just six months, the new ones should be virtually indestructible |
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Olympic swimming competition is measured to 100th of a second, and the difference between a good start and a bad start can be just 2/10 of a second, making accurate analysis systems essential |
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AIS has also built a new hydrotherapy and recovery centre where you'll find the likes of Jodie Henry taking it easy after intense training. It includes spa baths, a plunge pool, a coldwater walk-through and an artificial river for stretching. |
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