Analysing the mechanics of your movement is something which is usually confined to the sports science laboratory, where willing volunteers can be seen standing patiently whilst tens of fuzzy blue balls are painstakingly attached to each joint, and re-attached every other minute when they fall off.

Fortunately Notch have developed miniscule fobs which can be placed effortlessly around the body on your clothing, allowing you to analyse your biomechanics from your living room. Notch analyses how you move around, and sends the data back to your smart phone app for immediate feedback. You can store this data and watch how your movement efficiency improves over time, comparing your biomechanics to other Notch users across the world.

The applications for Notch are wider than they probably first imagined. For professional athletes and sporting enthusiasts, Notch could be used to track the movement of key skills such as the tennis serve, comparing them over time to detect an improvement in skill. It could tell martial artists about the height of their kick, and help dancers to perfect their routines, as each fob can vibrate to let the person know when they’ve strayed too far from the pre-programmed routine.

However I can see potential uses for Notch in the health care setting, given its easy usability. Notch could be used to track movement patterns in movement disorders, and in those with mobility impairments or musculoskeletal injuries, analysing how movement improves with an intervention.

Notch will be available in Summer 2014.

Faye Prior (Researcher)

Sources

http://www.wearnotch.com/

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wearnotch/notch-movement-capture-anywhere-anytime?ref=discover_rec