In December 2022, CUAS graduate and current staff member Ms Venek obtained her doctorate from the University of Salzburg. In her dissertation in the field of sport and exercise science, she investigated the use and effect of sensor technologies in the assessment of movement quality. The results and findings from her studies expand the knowledge base on technology-assisted training and will benefit future developments in the areas of Active and Assisted Living, professional and recreational sports.
Human movement quality can be described as the proper replication of specific movement patterns. The objective evaluation and integration of movement quality assessment in ecologically valid environments needs further investigation. The assessment of human movement quality is not only crucial in the field of rehabilitation but also in prevention. In the Active and Assisted Living project fit4AAL (2018-2020), a solution to promote physical activity and the use of technology for healthy aging was developed and tested in over 100 households in Vienna and Salzburg (city and province). As part of this project, Dr Venek and her team at Salzburg Research developed and evaluated a feedback-based exercise module with a 3D camera system for functional training at home.
In her main studies of the thesis, she found that:
- the 3D camera system Orbbec Persee is a suitable alternative to the Microsoft Kinect for exercise monitoring,
- the additional usage of the feedback system supported users positively in training frequency, exercise intensity and leg strength improvement,
- the field of technology-assisted human movement quality assessment in sports is an emerging field due to the growing technology acceptance and demand among recreational athletes for movement quantification and qualification, with missing standardization of sensor selection reporting.
Furthermore, her thesis provides analysis steps for interchangeability and usage-driven impact analysis, and a synthesis of recent advances in technology-assisted human movement quality assessment in recreational and professional sports.
You can find the published papers and related publications on her ResearchGate profile.
The published highlights are:
- Venek, V., Kremser, W., & Stöggl, T. (2021). Towards a Live Feedback Training System: Interchangeability of Orbbec Persee and Microsoft Kinect for Exercise Monitoring. Designs, 5(2), 30.
- Venek, V., Kranzinger, C., Jungreitmayr, S., Ring-Dimitriou, S., Schwameder, H., & Stöggl, T. (2022). Influence of 2 Digital Exercise Modules of a Multimodular System on Balance and Leg Strength Under Consideration of Use Adherence: Prospective Cohort Study. JMIR Formative Research, 6(9), e36805.
- Venek, V., Kranzinger, S., Schwameder, H., & Stöggl, T. (2022). Human Movement Quality Assessment Using Sensor Technologies in Recreational and Professional Sports: A Scoping Review. Sensors, 22(13), 4786.
Once again, congratulation and all the best for the future.
Yours,
MedTech @ FH Kärnten Team
