Integral Kinematics: Training Muscle Control and Performance

Traditionally,​ ​people​ ​have​ ​measured​ ​athletic​ ​and​ ​physical​ ​performance​ ​based​ ​on derivatives,​ ​or​ ​rates​ ​of​ ​change.​ ​For​ ​example,​ ​acceleration​ ​is​ ​the​ ​rate​ ​of​ ​change​ ​of​ ​velocity,​ ​and power​ ​is​ ​the​ ​rate​ ​of​ ​change​ ​of​ ​energy.​ ​All​ ​of​ ​these​ ​metrics​ ​quantify​ ​sudden​ ​burst,​ ​but​ ​few measure​ ​another​ ​key​ ​component​ ​of​ ​performance:​ ​control.​ ​This​ ​project​ ​introduce​ ​a​ ​new​ ​way​ ​to evaluate​ ​performance:​ ​by​ ​measuring​ ​control​ ​via​ ​the​ ​converse​ ​of​ ​a​ ​derivative,​ ​the​ ​integral. Professor​ ​Mann,​ ​the​ ​mentor​ ​in​ ​this​ ​project,​ ​derived​ ​a​ ​novel​ ​metric​ ​from​ ​integral​ ​kinematics, called​ ​absement,​ ​which​ ​determines​ ​how​ ​long​ ​one​ ​can​ ​maintain​ ​a​ ​certain​ ​displacement.​ ​This research​ ​project​ ​aims​ ​to​ ​invent​ ​training​ ​mechanisms​ ​that​ ​measure​ ​athletes’​ ​absement​ ​outputs​ ​and challenges​ ​athletes​ ​to​ ​optimize​ ​body​ ​control.