Using IoT to improve windsurfing skills

The Japan Windsurfing Association, Fujitsu, and Lapis Semiconductor have announced the start of IoT-based field trials to improve the sailing skills of windsurfers.

The trials will extend over about five months, from May 11 through September 30, 2017.

In this field trial, a device that can simultaneously record GPS and sensor data across nine-axes sensor data from an accelerometer, gyrometer, and geomagnetic sensor unit developed by Lapis Semiconductor, will be attached to windsurfing sails. The recorded data from these sensors will be analyzed using a Fujitsu cloud service, providing visual 3D models and graphs of the movements of the sail. This technology, for the first time in windsurfing, makes possible the use of data to understand sail handling, allowing competitors to compare their data with those who are higher-ranked to enable discovery of ways to improve their sailing skills by looking at differences in handling in 3D models and numerical values.

Efforts in this project are now moving forward under the name of Project Windsurfing Lab. Initially, members of the Japan Windsurfing Association will be recruited to participate in this trial, with the goal of raising the level of windsurfing in Japan and promoting its spread through the use of this technology in training by players and coaches, and through trials and demonstrations at tournaments sponsored by the Japan Windsurfing Association.