"Robot Coaches" Elevate Your Skills

In recent years, advances in sensor and image analysis technologies have enabled more scientific training in the world of sports than ever before. For example, wearing GPS motion sensors during exercise allows for precise measurement of the load placed on the body. This allows for the creation of training programs that anticipate exercise intensity and fatigue accumulation, preventing injuries while maximizing training effectiveness. While the Japanese national rugby team introduced examples of its use, making it widely known, adoption is increasing not only among J.League and B.League teams but also at the youth level.

※＝GPS motion sensor
A device that records and transmits location data, movement speed, and the intensity and direction of exertion

 
Meanwhile, according to a survey by the Sasakawa Sports Foundation (2015 Report on the Current Status of Sports Youth Clubs), the number of members in elementary school sports youth clubs is decreasing annually due to the declining birthrate. The average number of children per club is now 21.8, a decrease of 4.9 from 26.7 in 2002. For some sports, the decline is even more significant, reaching a point where it's barely possible to hold red-and-white games for grades 1 through 6.

Furthermore, recent discussions highlight the burden school club activities place on teachers. Consequently, club activities are also expected to shrink in the future.

The impact of the declining birthrate is a matter of life and death for sports that already have a small player base. Let's look at the 2019 registered player numbers (all figures are combined male and female) from the National High School Athletic Federation. Some sports have high registration numbers, like soccer with about 170,000 and badminton with about 120,000. However, sports requiring large equipment or limited venues have fewer registrants. Canoeing has about 1,600, and weightlifting about 2,000. Speed skating, where Japanese athletes excel, has about 1,300 registrants. As expected given the sporting environment, participation tends to be concentrated in Hokkaido and the Tohoku region.

Amidst the headwinds of a declining birthrate and shrinking participation numbers, enhancing the international competitiveness of Japanese sports requires methods enabling efficient training even for a single athlete. This is where "robot coaches" come into play.
 
In sports where a certain level of investment is feasible, equipment utilizing AI to provide coaching advice is already emerging. For example, in golf and baseball, devices using compact radar to analyze swings and ball trajectories are now available, offering specific feedback.

If such technology becomes more affordable and applicable across various sports, even solo batting practice could become highly efficient. Receiving precise advice from a professional perspective could accelerate skill improvement. For team sports, improved video analysis technology has also led to the emergence of app services capable of providing tactical advice immediately after a game, making them effective for instilling tactical awareness.

Furthermore, a crucial aspect of robot coaches is "data sharing." The vast amount of data accumulated during individual practice will naturally be shared in real-time via the internet to the cloud. Analyzing this data visualizes a player's strengths and weaknesses, enabling the creation of training programs that build on strengths and overcome weaknesses. Beyond nurturing a child's talent, it might even be possible to analyze and suggest the position where that child can perform best.

 In sports, there is a belief that during childhood, it is important to expose children to a variety of movements without limiting them to a specific sport. Furthermore, there are many cases where a child's talent didn't shine in one sport but blossomed in another. By sharing data from robot coaches across different sports, we can uncover children's hidden talents. Utilizing robot coaches could be a way to enhance Japan's international competitiveness in sports, even amidst a declining birthrate. 

Future Prediction Support Lab: http://dentsu-fsl.jp/