'Vibrating' suit may help Olympic athletes perform with inch-perfect precision

London, May 2 (ANI): Researchers have come up with a new electric training suit, which can tell the wearer when they are positioning themselves correctly and may prove especially useful for lympic athletes.

The new technology involves tiny sensors attached to the wearer's skin that trigger motors to tell them when they move in the correct way.

A computer tracks the user's movements in real time and the results can be monitored by a coach as Olympic hopefuls practice, the Daily Mail reported.

The MotivePro suit, pioneered at Birmingham University, is being tested by British athletes as they seek honing their skills in the run-up to the London 2012 games.

Professor Gregory Sporton, a former ballet dancer, initially designed the suit to perfect his own posture while performing.

"The beauty of the suit is that it can be calibrated to the individual athlete's routines," he said.

"When an athlete hits a particular stretch or movement the computer sends a tiny impulse, like a vibration on a mobile phone, to the sensors which is then felt on the skin.

"In theory the sensors can be placed anywhere on the body but they are put on the athlete's joints. Because the sensors relay the information in real time the athlete will receive immediate feedback throughout their routine."

Professor Sporton asserted that the "suit is designed to give wearers feedback about where their body is in space."

"It does this by focussing on key points in the body, taking relative measurements between them to check the user's position.

"The sensors include a vibrating motor, like that found on a mobile phone, and these can be set to vibrate to indicate when someone moves outside or inside a desirable range. Therefore the vibrations can indicate to an athlete whether they are performing well or not," Prof Sporton added. (ANI)