IIT Madras Researchers to Develop Advanced Boxing Analytics Software to Help Indian Players at 2024 Olympics

IIT Madras ‘Smartboxer’ will use wearable sensors and video cameras to provide performance assessments of boxers on four key traits

IIT Madras researchers along with Inspire Institute of Sports (IIS) in Bellary, Karnataka, are developing a cost-effective boxing analytics platform to increase India’s boxing medal tally at the 2024 Olympics. An analytics platform called ‘Smartboxer,’ being developed as a multi-version software by the Center of Excellence for Sports Science and Analytics at IIT Madras, will provide an above-par competitive edge to Indian athletes. It will provide feedback and performance assessments using Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled wearable sensors and video cameras.

‘Smartboxer’ will be deployed to analyse the boxers’ performance at Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS). Based on the feedback from IIS, changes will be incorporated into the ‘Smartboxer’ analytics platform. This will enable the software to be effectively used to assist coaches and boxers, said a statement from the institute.

Sports engineering, a relatively new discipline, is an inter-disciplinary domain that requires application of mathematics, physics, Artificial Intelligence and IoT-driven wearables. Sports engineering will help to understand the physiology and bio-mechanics associated with a sport. This will aid in solving sporting problems and designing better sports equipment.

How IIT Madras Smartboxer Works

The research involves using IoT-based sensors and video cameras to provide analytics about player performance.

1. It involves using IoT-based products such as: Sensor embedded gloves to analyse Punch Force, Wireless foot insole with a pressure sensor to record Ground Reaction Force, wireless EMG sensors to record movement in the player’s lower body, and Inertial Measurement Unit to record movement in player’s upper body.

2. Video cameras placed in the boxing ring will identify the left and right arms of a player and classify the movements as an attack, defence, or feint.

These findings gathered from the sensors and video cameras will be merged to provide comprehensive boxing analytics to provide information about key traits of the boxer. These traits are evaluated in the Olympics for scoring in boxing matches. They include quantity and quality of punch, dominance of the engagements and competitiveness.