Abstract
Skiers need a convenient method that uses actual ski-turn data to determine their skill level quantitatively without impeding their movement. In this study, we propose a feature detection method designed to quantitatively assess the skill level involved in ski turns. Actual data were acquired from both expert and intermediate skiers while skiing by using a comfortable measurement system that uses compact inertial sensors attached to the user’s skis and waist, and plantar pressure sensors. The changes in body posture and the behavior of the skis were examined using acceleration and angular velocity (each on three axes) data output by the inertial sensors. The plantar pressure distributions generated during skiing were also examined. The results show that it is possible to detect the relationship between the behavior of the skis and the changes in body posture or the plantar pressure distribution, which allows the skier’s skill level to be quantitatively assessed.
Highlights
Skiing is an attractive sport and can be enjoyed more if the turns are well controlled
The results suggest that the expert skier changed the waist and ski orientation to determine the travel direction more aggressively than the intermediate skier
For the intermediate skier, the total amount of plantar force in the front side was larger than that in the heel side, shown in the left pane of Figure 8. These results indicate that the expert skier mainly loaded the heel side of the ski, while the intermediate skier loaded the front side probably to avoid losing speed control
Summary
Skiing is an attractive sport and can be enjoyed more if the turns are well controlled. Two training methods are common: feedback from coaches and checking the videos captured while skiing. To make training more effective, it is important to quantitatively evaluate the movement of the individual while skiing. Several studies have detailed methods for measuring body motion during skiing. One digitizes the motions of the body from camera data during ski jumping [1]. The other measures the motion by using inertial sensors [2]. It has been reported that plantar pressure distribution sensors can be used to measure how loads are applied to the skis [3]. Showing the raw sensor data to the individual directly is not useful. The features of skiing movements should be extracted from the sensor data to establish effective training.
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