SPAIN AI Technology for Sport

By Jon Steel

Spain hosted a multi discipline indoor lecture on Tuesday afternoon. Javier Garcia had a presentation prepared for an app called SportyRoom.

SportyRoom was launched in November 2022 and has a wide range of functions. Social networking amongst the snowsports industry is a large part of it, and like most apps you can create your profile, upload pictures/videos and look to connect with other users.

Javier explained where the AI came into play and it’s in the form of algorithms that can detect biomechanics within videos that you upload to the app. 17 points on the body are identified, and from there the AI is designed to detect and correct inefficiencies. I enquired as to the accuracy of the AI out of curiosity & to see where there algorithm is up to. One point I made was how the algorithm would go if the skier in the video was wearing white jacket and pants, against a white background, and Javier said the app and AI is still developing and going through constant updates. Ideally solid and brighter colours for jacket and pants made it easier for the AI to detect these points on the body.

 

 

Within your profile you can also become a content creator and have your posted content either free or monetised. Content could include how-tos, clinics, presentations, tip & tricks, and more. Javier explained that instructors could use SportyRoom to generate passive income. The app uses their own currency called SportyCoins which you can redeem in the currency of your choice. From your content that gets purchased, SportyRoom takes 15% and the content creator keeps the rest.

It’s definitely interesting to see another avenue of how technology is being used within snowsports. There’s more and more feedback devices being released, the Carv footbed and app for example, but this was the first one that I heard of that incorporates AI. I’ll be interested to see the further developments over the next year and what advancements are made within the AI and algorithm.

A big thanks to Javier for presenting this, and especially in his non-native language!