Project Impact wiki home - GeorgJung/Impact GitHub Wiki

Tagline

Creating impact measuring Muai-Thai pads in an interdisciplinary multi-sensor embedded systems project.

Sub projects

  • Technique recognition (project Recon)
  • Main monitor and data tracking system

Abstract

Embedded systems development reaches beyond standard programming tasks as found in, for example, desktop or mobile application development, in as much as it usually involves taking into account a constant stream of inputs and outputs to and from the physical world. Further, code has to be tailored towards the used devices, which in turn have limited computing power and pose tight storage requirements. Finally, adding features or functionality to an existing system involving embedded devices generally entails that complex plug-in points are available to encompass the addition of sensors, actors, and computational components, which may form a logical unit, but which are in a functional and physical sense necessarily heterogeneous.

Obviously, whenever embedded systems are involved, expertise from other areas of engineering and sciences might be necessary to develop the required solutions. Mechanical and electrical engineering, material sciences, physics, chemistry, and various other disciplines can contribute to information and computation systems that interact closely with real world phenomena.

Impact is an interdisciplinary project around a martial arts workout session. In the core task, forearm mounted, Thai-boxing style, punching and kicking targets ("Thai pads") are outfitted with seismic sensors that collect information about the performance of the practitioner. Further, movements of the practitioner will be tracked with a Kinect system. Additional inputs such as pulse rates, lactic acid levels, respiration rates, and similar measurements could be added later. A main monitor will display the sessions and keep track of the individual practitioners.

The pads themselves are subject to research in terms of the materials used for the shell and filling, the shell geometry for optimal absorption, and so forth.

Background

Project impact originated from an idea which came up just coincidentally: During a timed workout session with Thai-boxing style punching targets (Thai pads) a bystander mistook the round-timer alarm as an acoustic feedback signal from the Thai pads and inquired about what kind of feedback that was, and how the performance is measured. At that time it was a misunderstanding: the Thai pads were just regular cushions in a leather shell as used anywhere in boxing training. However the idea of equipping such pads with impact sensors was around ever since, and it will now be realized for fun and for educational purposes.