Dr Martin O’Reilly of Output Sports and the Insight Centre for Data Analytics. Image: UCD
UCD spin-out Output Sports is helping athletes to train remotely and continually assess their progress with its wearable device.
As physical distancing measures continue, Irish sports technology start-up Output Sports is helping athletes and coaches to optimise their remote training programmes.
Based at NovaUCD, Output Sports is a university spin-out that has developed an end-to-end solution to test and track athletic performance with a wearable sensor.
Several well-known Irish athletes have been using the company’s Output Capture wearable during home workouts. This technology uses advanced signal processing and machine learning techniques to remotely test certain aspects of athletic performance, while tracking training through its companion app.
Ireland’s athletic community
Among those using the system are Paralympic swimmer Nicole Turner, who is using the app to provide testing and tracking data to her strength and conditioning coach. It is also being used by Leinster rugby players Dave Kearney and Adam Byrne.
Dr Martin O’Reilly, CEO of Output Sports, said: “Currently due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the athletic community the world over has had to adapt to the requirements of social distancing, home workouts and working from home. We are glad that our Output Capture technology can help them in this time of unprecedented change.”
Turner’s coach, Niamh Buffini, who is CEO of Buff Performance, added: “With the Output Sports system, I can now track movement and robustness with a lot more attention to detail because the system allows for the athlete, such as Nicole, to do it themselves.”
She added that the continuous nature of assessment “works well” for athletes while they train remotely.
Maintaining a sense of routine
Byrne, who is also an investor in Output Sports, said: “I am currently sharing a house with Dave Kearney, and using Output Capture in conjunction with the plans sent out by Leinster Rugby means we haven’t deviated too far from our usual daily routine.
“In addition to our standard daily monitoring, I’ve also been able to track a few areas specific to me such as my ankle mobility, jump height and measure the range of motion on each rep of my calf raises with the Output Sports sensor unit.”
With many amateur and professional athletes stuck at home, the start-up has now launched a competition to let users compare their results in the same or different sports, across six different fitness tests relating to strength, power and flexibility.
Dr Darragh Whelan, CSO of the start-up, added: “We already have had a fantastic response to our Output Combine competition with entrants from Ireland, across Europe and the US, and the competition is open until at least the middle of next month.
“We have two full-year memberships up for grabs for Output Capture, with unlimited athlete profiles, for the best all-round athlete and the best video content submitted.”
