IMeasureU, a wearable tech company focused on limb fatigue identification, is introducing a new product. Tuesday marked the official release of IMU Step, a motion-sensing wearable designed for professional and collegiate athletes.
Already in use by the NBA/G-League, Pac-12 schools and Harvard, IMU Step measures “bone load,” or the amount of stress placed on athletes’ limbs during activity. As opposed to assessing a player as a single unit, IMU Step breaks down stress accumulated by each individual limb. This is done using two small, lightweight sensors placed just above the ankle bone.
Metrics obtained through algorithms can clue a trainer in to exactly how stressful a workout is on the body. For a sport like basketball or cross-country, keying in on potential lower-limb injuries can reduce the potential of more time being spent in the training room.
“IMU sensors allow for the collection of biomechanics data in the wild,” Harvard Medical School’s Dr. Irene Davis said in a statement. “Devices like IMU Step allow the assessment of movement patterns on the court or in the field, and help to bridge the gap between laboratory research and applied sports science.”
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Harvard has already used the device to conduct a study at the Boston Marathon. Now it’s doing something similar with the NBA to determine the impact of fatigue on lower limbs.
“IMU Step brings about a new understanding of injury biomechanics as we move outside of the lab and obtain accurate measurements in the real world,” Dr. Thor Besier, co-founder and chief scientist at IMeasureU, said in a statement. “Using the data collected with IMU Step, athletes, coaches, trainers and support staff can make informed decisions about how to get athletes healthy, and how to keep them that way.”
This marks IMeasureU’s first product release since being acquired by the motion-capture company, Vicon.