The Development of a Smart Assistive Technology and Coaching System for Boccia - User Needs Assessment, Device Design, Functional Training and Field Application among Special Populations

Individuals with disabilities are frequently ignored by the general population, hence the development of movement feature detection and training devices for use in special education settings are relatively overlooked. In order to promote the physical development and activity participation of the disabled, the design of proper activities and the use of appropriate assistive devices and environment are of particular importance. Boccia is a fast-developing sport designed for people with severe disabilities affecting motor skills in the recent years. It is a precision ball sport which requires highly coordinated motor skills and strategy planning. However it relies on the support from teachers, teacher’s assistants, coaches and therapists, both during the game and the training of athletes. The purpose of this study is to design and develop a smart assistive technology and coaching system for boccia and to evaluate its application on the health promotion and movement characteristics identification among special populations. The project is divided into three stages: Stage 1, design and integrate visual streaming and recognition for the game field to pinpoint the ball position and the movement features of the participant; Step 2, research and develop assistive devices for boccia sport, including an electronic scoring system and an event broadcasting system; Step 3, plan and program individual training strategy based on the integrated results from ball position and movement feature of the participant. In cooperation with the disabled community and special schools, the team is going to promote the use of these smart assistive devices and to continue collecting and expanding the movement database in the cloud platform. These data can be retrieved for movement evaluation, exercise prescription, physical activity promotion, and also serve as references for future device design and policy modification.

Project ID:PB10901-0556
External Project ID:MOST107-2221-E182-049-MY3