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Perfection on the IceBiomechanists Help Ice Skaters Improve Technique By Using Technology From Animated Films, Video GamesMarch 1, 2011Biomechanists are helping ice skaters improve their performances, using motion capture technology to study skatersý movements. This is the same technology used to re-create lifelike motion in animated films and video games. By using special markers on the skaterýs body and recording the movements with several cameras, researchers can create a model of the bodyýs motion, revealing where a skater can make improvements. |
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Science InsiderWHAT IS MOTION CAPTURE: Motion capture cuts the costs of computer animation while creating more natural movement. Such systems work by tracking the locations of hundreds of reflective balls attached to a human actor. This permits the actor's movements to be sampled by a camera many times per second. But the digital record is limited to movements and does not include the actual appearance of the actor. These types of systems are limited in resolution to several hundred points on a human face.
TURN, TURN, TURN: For spins performed on the ice, the way a skater holds his or her body can affect the speed of rotation. Once in the air, a skater controls his or her rotation speed by closing or opening the body position. A closed position, with the arms and legs pulled in tight against the body, decreases resistance and increases rotation speeds. On the other hand, an open position, in which the arms and legs are allowed to swing away from the body, causes the speed of rotation to decrease. That's why ice skaters tighten their body positions when performing twists or jump turns. |
More information on this storyOn The Web: To Go Inside This Science: James Richards
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