Vikas Kannav, projectleader of COMMIT/SenseI (Sensor based Engagement for Improved Health) regularly runs a tour in the park Amsterdamse Bos.
An app on his smartphone is following his condition live via sensors; if he is fit, the intelligent software in his phone encourages him to run a few kilometers extra and when his muscles are soured, the app recommends to slow down a little bit.
Kannav (photo), 30 years and trained in India as an ICT specialist, is project manager for the Sensei app, as his running sidekick is called. "I am a kind of guinea pig for our research. I use our researchers’ expertise and findings to constantly improve my running, and give feedback to them.”
For more than a year some fifteen researchers in Kannav's team are working on the running app. He himself is a senior consultant for emerging technologies at the Amsterdam ICT and consulting firm Infosys. In this project his company is working with researchers from the VU University, the University of Twente and the Hogeschool van Amsterdam, together with the firms Sense Observation and Almende. The ICT project is funded from the public-private subsidy scheme of the Dutch Commit project.
Kannav: "The tagline of the Sensei project is: Run with intelligence. Some components of the technology being used have hitherto only worked in lab conditions. Now our aim is to deploy it in practice. The goal of this project is multifold. Poor lifestyle is the fourth cause of health problems. People move too little. We want to motivate them to keep running and stay fit with this coaching app. Many people quit running after a short try, because they experience the existing sporting apps as too boring. Or they develop an injury given to their inexperience. Our software delivers the first intelligent real-time feedback about the way you run."
This real-time coaching is possible because smart phones have become real powerhouse PC's. Sensors such as GPS, gyroscope and accelerometer give a fairly accurate picture of the running performance. "Many health watches that are on the market, only show the number of steps and the running time. We do much more. Our algorithms tell you how well you run technically. For instance wether you run too hastily, or make too big or too short steps. Sensei verifies if your step frequency is optimal for your speed and age. This definitely should lead to injury prevention as well. The software alerts you while running. Health wristbands can't do this."
“An example: if you are running at 12 kilometers per hour with a heart rate of 135 beats per minute, the Sensei app recommends you to increase your step frequency from 70 to 90 steps per minute. Thus, you shorten the length of your steps, so you can run more efficiently. In your earpiece, you hear a beat with the recommended rate."
The coaching advice can either be computed on the mobile or can come via a mobile connection from a central server that uses a lot of historical data from runners. This knowledge is combined with information on the personal running behaviour of the athlete, his heart rate, and his levels of fitness.
"We also check the mental wellbeing. While running you speak a few sentences into the microphone of your mobile. Thus, we analyze within seconds if you're tired today, or fit. After only three runs our algorithms can recognize you."
Based on the emotional and fatigue patterns of the athlete and his performance, the app calculates whether your current running type is more geared towards weight loss, muscle growth, stamina improvement or nutrient deficiency. Kannav: "Sensei can collaborate with health and a nutrician applications, to give you a combined advice, if you'd like to."
Another feature is that Sensei is a social app. The system recognizes whether there are runners in the neighbourhood with equal speed and fitness, so you can run together. “This makes the sport more enjoyable and leads to better performance.”
What about protecting the privacy of all those very personal information? Kannav: "We do not store data on the smartphone. Everything is sent real-time to servers in the cloud, where the data is stored in an encrypted database. We don't keep personal identifying information. Data security and privacy are specialties of Infosys."
When will the app be ready for the public? Kannav: "I estimate that we still need one and a half years of research and integration. For example, we are stil looking for an effective solution for the large scale dynamic communication between the servers and all those smartphones.”
Is there a business model for the app? "No, not yet. We would like to make money of course however our current focus is on practical research. We do know that our research can directly be used in other sports, like rowing or cycling. The partners in the project are free to exploit the intellectual property. The research on security and privacy can later be commercially licensed to any industry where data sensitivity is critical.
Marc Laan, zelfstandig journalist ICT
SenseI (Sensor based Engagement for Improved Health)
Ook dit is een COMMIT/project
