IIT Madras, IIS to build boxing analytics software to increase India's Olympics medal haul

NEW DELHI: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras in collaboration with the Inspire Institute of Sports (IIS), have created a low-cost boxing analytics platform called 'Smartboxer,' to increase India's boxing medal tally at the Olympics 2024. The multi-version software is designed to provide feedback and performance assessments via Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled wearable sensors and video cameras.

To evaluate the boxers' performance at IIS, the "Smartboxer" analytics platform will be improved in response to IIS's suggestions. This will allow boxers and coaches to get the most out of the programme.

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The Indian government has identified a few major sports in order to meet the ambitious goal of increasing medals at the 2024 Olympics such as athletics, badminton, wrestling, hockey, weightlifting, boxing, and shooting. “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," Ranganathan Srinivasan, professor at IIT Madras said.

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“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, and 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," John Warburton, Boxing head of IIS said.

Methodology

To give insights into player performance, the study uses IoT-based sensors and cameras.

1. It entails utilising IoT-based products like Sensor-embedded gloves to analyse punch force; wireless insoles with pressure sensors to record ground reaction force; wireless EMG sensors to record movement in the player's lower body, and an inertial measurement unit to record movement in the player's upper body.

2. In-ring video cameras will recognise a player's left and right arms and categorise their movements as an attack, a defence, or a fake.

IIT Madras researchers and IIS are planning to apply for a patent for the ‘Smartboxer’.