Sensors and related instruments are nowadays widely employed in sports in order to monitor equipment, physiological quantities and the performance of athletes both at professional and non-professional level.
The course firstly provides a basic knowledge of the measurement principles adopted in modern instruments, and afterwards presents a wide overview of sensing principles, technologies and devices having high relevance in the Sport Engineering field. The course also provides some practical examples concerning commercial sensors, and discusses their performance and limits.
Main topics are:
- Measurement basics and acquisition systems;
- Biometric sensors: heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature, flow rate, oxygen saturation;
- Sensors for mechanical and biomechanical parameters: force, mass, pressure, displacement, speed, acceleration, tracking systems, mechanical power, inertial and non-inertial sensors;
- Environmental sensors: pressure, wind speed, humidity, apparent temperature;
- Wearable sensors and smart sensors.