Supporting a uK SucceSS Story: The impacT of - Research Councils ...

“This interactive
approach will
allow a broadcast
operator to
reconstruct
the 3D skeletal
motion of an
athlete allowing
subsequent use
for analysis and
commentary.”
frames. This interactive approach will allow a broadcast operator
to reconstruct the 3D skeletal motion of an athlete allowing
subsequent use for analysis and commentary. For example, the
recovered skeletal motion might be used to compare different
high-jump attempts for an individual athlete or to allow comparison
between athletes in a track event such as the 100 metres.
The Centre for Vision, Speech and Signal Processing (CVSSP)
at the University of Surrey has had a close collaboration with
BBC Research and Development for over a decade working on a
number of joint industry-academic research projects supported by
the UK Technology Strategy Board and EU. These projects have
focused on the use of computer vision in broadcast production
and specifically on the analysis of video captured from multiple
views to capture 3D reconstructions of actor performance or live
events. In addition to collaborative projects BBC Research also
directly sponsor a number of PhD students in CVSSP. This allows
investigation of long-term research problems which are of direct
interest and relevance to the BBC, this currently includes PhD’s in
3D video production, sports player motion analysis and advanced
tools for video editing.
Keeping your cool
“The group’s
research was
particularly
effective at the
2004 Olympics
in Athens and
2008 in Beijing.
In 2004 Great
Britain’s cyclists
used cooling chairs
where the athletes
sat with their
hands immersed
in plastic bags full
of ice attached
to picnic chair
armrests.”
The Extreme Environments Laboratory in the Department of
Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Portsmouth
has a well-established international reputation in the area of
thermal physiology, the effect of temperature on the human
body. Researchers examine the physiological and psychological
responses to adverse environments and work with a range of elite
sporting groups as well as the military, oil industry, fire-fighters,
RNLI and HM Coastguard. The laboratories at Portsmouth are also
the recognised thermal physiology labs for UK Sport.
Professor of Human and Applied Physiology, Mike Tipton, explains:
“It’s a well-established fact that performance degrades as you
become too hot and there are so many sports where the heat
can affect anything from concentration to physical performance.
Shooting or fencing, for example, both require quick decisionmaking
and heat can have a profound effect on this.” The group’s
research was particularly effective at the 2004 Olympics in
Athens and 2008 in Beijing. In 2004 Great Britain’s cyclists used
cooling chairs where the athletes sat with their hands immersed
in plastic bags full of ice attached to picnic chair armrests, to cool
down their core temperature. It might have looked strange, but
the Great Britain cycling team came away with four medals in
2004 – two gold, one silver and one bronze.
SECTION ONE : TECHNOLOGY 19