Corrective Sonic Feedback for Speed Skating: a Case Study

We present a system that provides real-time audio feedback to athletes performing repetitive, periodic movements. The system synchronizes the temporal signal from a sensor placed on the athletes body with a model signal. The audio feedback tells the athlete how well they are synchronized with the model, and whether or not they are deviating from the model at critical points in the periodic motion. Because the feedback is continuous and in real-time, the athlete is able to correct their motion in response to the sounds they hear. The system uses simple, inexpensive instrumentation (the entire system costs less than $500) and avoids the uses of expensive and inconvenient motion capture systems. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the system with a case study featuring a speed skater that had developed a significant anomaly in his technique.