For Figure Skaters, AI Is Now Watching

American figure skater Andrew Torgashev was at an invitation-only camp organized by US Figure Skating not long ago, prepping for the Grand Prix season to work out any flaws in his performance. To the naked eye, Torgashev landed one of his more challenging moves perfectly. To the camera watching him, however, Torgashev landed a quarter-revolution short. And he knew instantly, thanks to feedback he received from the camera—or, more accurately, the app it was running, designed by a pair of computer whiz kids with no background in skating. The AI-powered app is called OOFSkate, tech that analyzes a skater's jump height, rotation speed, airtime, and even landing quality, per the AP. It provides skaters with feedback without having to wear sensors or other technology.

• How it works: The system uses a phone or tablet camera to capture a skater in motion, then overlays the key points of a jump or spin—the idealized version of a given element—and records the metrics that technical panels typically use. Instantly, a coach or judge can know whether a skater completed what they were supposed to do, with the right form. It also helps the individual skater, who can marry the jump they've just done in practice against what they may have done in the past.

• Inventors: "Our vision for the system is to automate the technical calling of the sport," says Jerry Lu, who along with his old college roommate, Jacob Blindenbach, built the system after meeting at the University of Virginia, where both were swimmers. They were drawn to ways emerging technology could help athletes in the water, such as accelerometers that better measure an athlete's performance.
• Origins: The name OOFSkate originally came from what skaters tend to say after seeing feedback from a jump—as in, "Oof, that wasn't very good!" Then, one of the folks at US Figure Skating gave it a second meaning: "Obsessed over form."
• Looking ahead: Lu and Blindenbach are treading cautiously, given the historically slow pace of technological adoption in elite sports. Instead, they're focused for now on fine-tuning the system to help coaches, athletes, and commentators better do their jobs. "We don't want to step on toes," Blindenbach said. "When you go fully AI and take the human out of the loop, people generally get mad, and the results are poor. We want to assist." More here.