INESC TEC develops wireless swimming costume to monitor swimmers

INESC TEC, in partnership with the University of Minho and the Faculty of Sports of the University of Porto, has developed training equipment that allows competitive coaches and swimmers to measure their biometric parameters and performance to improve their knowledge and obtain better results.

The project is called BIOSWIM - Body Interface System based on Wearable Integrated Monitoring. It is a system that works with the body for integrated monitoring and it can be used by athletes, non professional swimmers or patients in physiotherapeutic rehabilitation. It is a universal solution that monitors the physical and biomedical signs of a swimmer in training both in and out of the water and it can be used in all water sports and activities.

The goal was to create a swimming suit with around 20 sensors placed in strategic points to analyse biomechanical and physiological parameters as well as the swimmer’s performance. This device monitors heart rate, muscular activity, limb acceleration, palm pressure, tympanic temperature, respiratory rate and swimming speed.

The swimsuit is composed of electronic sensors and integrated materials and the data are sent using a wireless system for analysis in real-time, or they can be saved and analysed later. Therefore, coaches can use the data to complement their assessment of the athlete’s performance, to perfect their technique and also watch for warning signs or signs of fatigue. 

BIOSWIM began in 2006 as a proposal by researchers from 2C2T, the Algoritmi Centre from the University of Minho, INESC TEC and the Faculty of Sports at the University of Porto. The project officially began at the end of 2007 and was funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology. Sara Oliveira, a swimmer from FC Porto who represented Portugal in the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, also participated in the project. In the future, this equipment could be applied in other sports and areas that range from health to leisure.