I have been following Nanjing Qinheng Microelectronics (WCH) for a while. They have a very interesting line-up of low-cost RISCV microcontrollers with a lot of different connectivity options that rival big shots like ST or NXP. A couple of weeks ago I saw Patrick Yang advertising the RT-Thread IoT contest.
Although my experience with the CH32 lineup and RT-Thread is limited, I saw this as an excellent opportunity to revive my microcontroller and Bluetooth skills outside of my current work in Toshiba vision SoCs. I discovered this IoT contest when I was recovering from an ankle injury and searching for ways to restore explosive movements and fast-twitch muscles. My research led me to BlazePod, a reaction training system that measures reaction time based on vibration or tap input and provides feedback through haptic and LED indications. While this system is great, it lacks non-contact proximity sensing, making it unsuitable for movement drills in martial arts or non-contact reaction drills. I believe addressing this limitation could open up new applications for rehabilitation or even military training.
Next-Generation Interactive Fitness and Sports Training Device Proposal
We propose the development of a cutting-edge interactive fitness and sports training device that leverages innovative hardware and software technologies to enhance physical performance, cognitive skills, and reaction times. This device aims to provide a versatile and engaging training experience for athletes, coaches, fitness enthusiasts, and individuals in rehabilitation or physical therapy settings.
Objectives: The main objectives of the proposed device are as follows:
- Improve Physical Performance: The device will offer a range of customizable training programs, exercises, and drills that challenge agility, speed, strength, and coordination, aiming to enhance overall physical performance in various sports and fitness activities.
- Enhance Cognitive Skills: The device will incorporate neurocognitive training modes that target cognitive skills such as reaction time, decision-making, and sensory-motor coordination, aiming to improve cognitive performance and enhance sports performance.
- Provide Interactive and Engaging Workouts: The device will offer interactive and gamified workouts that add a dynamic and engaging element to traditional exercise routines, making workouts more enjoyable, motivating, and effective.
- Aid in Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy: The device will provide exercises and modes that can be utilized in rehabilitation and physical therapy settings to aid in the recovery process of individuals with injuries or impairments, targeting coordination, balance, and proprioception.
- Simulate Real-World Scenarios: The device will offer modes that simulate real-world sports and tactical scenarios, aiming to improve situational awareness, decision-making, and reaction times in sports and tactical training settings.
Methods: The proposed device will utilize state-of-the-art hardware and software technologies, including wireless and durable sensors, a user-friendly mobile app, and customizable training programs. The device will provide various training modes and exercises that can be customized to cater to different sports, fitness levels, and training objectives. The mobile app will offer real-time performance tracking, progress monitoring, and data analytics features to provide users with valuable insights and feedback on their training performance.
Expected Impact: The proposed device has the potential to revolutionize fitness and sports training, rehabilitation, neurocognitive training, and tactical training by offering an interactive, engaging, and versatile training experience. It is expected to enhance physical performance, cognitive skills, and reaction times, leading to improved sports performance, fitness outcomes, and rehabilitation outcomes.
The proposed interactive fitness and sports training device has significant potential to fill the gap in the market for a next-generation training system that offers a versatile, engaging, and effective training experience. With its innovative hardware and software technologies, the device aims to enhance physical performance, cognitive skills, and reaction times, making it a valuable tool in the fields of sports, fitness, rehabilitation, neurocognitive training, and tactical training. Further research and development efforts will be undertaken to bring this device to market and enable athletes, coaches, fitness enthusiasts, and individuals in rehabilitation or physical therapy settings to achieve their training goals and optimize their performance.
The next steps include
- Coming up with the full system design
- Waiting for the development kit to arrive
- Designing the first prototype board and enclosure
- Wireframing the Android application that goes with it, unfortunately, I do not have any Apple environment to target IOS before the submission deadline
- Trying the device with willing participants, possibly at my local martial arts club
Should I win the contest, I am going to use the winnings to turn this into a viable open-source training platform. Stay tuned for more updates.
Sources and schematics can be found here:
