Paul C. Albert: “Supercomputers will revolutionize athletic training”

The world was first introduced to IBM’s supercomputer Watson in 2011, during a Jeopardy (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/17/science/17jeopardy-watson.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0) tournament that pitted the advanced computation system against the shows all-time high scorers – Watson beat them all.  From there, the unstoppable super computer generated a cookbook using three years’ worth of data, and cuisine and food theory. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/could-ibms-watson-eventually-replace-creative-chefs-not-at-this-rate/2015/05/11/82a0a3ca-f29f-11e4-b2f3-af5479e6bbdd_story.html

Watson’s latest endeavor may be its most ambitious yet – the supercomputer is currently helping to revolutionize sports training. In partnership with the Irish-based sports performance company, Orreco, the IBM developers behind Watson have created a new app, called Coach Watson. The app will magnify Orreco’s current tools and will help train some of the world’s most elite athletes.  

Watson’s ability to process big data quickly and efficiently, coupled with its understanding of complex questions, will be used to analyze a wide array of information that is transmitted via sensors and the Internet of Things (IoT). The small sensors will be mounted on the athlete’s’ body in a variety of locations to track water loss, peak performance levels, oxygenation of the blood and more. What sets Coach Watson apart from other high tech sports software is its ability to cross reference the data it receives from the body mounted sensors with thousands of medical journals and scientific research.

“Coach Watson might also be able to spot signs of an upcoming injury weeks in advance through the continuous monitoring of biomarker data (e.g. an iron deficiency in the blood),” speculated Dominic Basulto of the Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/innovations/wp/2015/10/01/what-ibm-watson-can-do-for-elite-athletes/

In recent years, we have seen the rise of training related technological devices. Fitbits, smart runners, armband monitors and censored sweat bands are helping to revolutionize the way the average citizen exercises. These devices can also monitor sleep patterns and nutritional intakes. Dubbed activity trackers these high tech gadgets are helping us reach our peak physical performance. https://www.techinasia.com/li-ning-xiaomi-smart-running-shoes/

Canadian nutrition expert, Paul C. Albert, thinks the technological advancements related to health and exercise are exciting. “I think we are really standing on the cusp of an exciting time,” said Paul Albert. ‘Technology will continue to change how we do everything including walking, running, endurance sports and of course this will all impact how we eat.” https://ca.linkedin.com/in/paulcalbert

New apps can alert you when you need to take a quick walk around the office to help maintain health and the same apps can monitor caloric intake and keep track of what you have been eating. “As a nutritionist, I love the idea of empowering people with the knowledge to make healthy choices,” Markham, Ontario’s Paul C. Albert said. https://www.facebook.com/PaulChristopherAlbert

Watson and Orecco are currently working with the Oregon Track Club to help increase runner performance.  “We all know there is no shortage of data in professional sports,” Rowland said to the Washington Post. ”The challenge always is in making the data and information actionable. I can see Coach Watson becoming an invaluable resource for both coaches and athletes alike.” http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-thedownload-ibm-watson-athletes-20151003-story.html

Like Albert pointed out, being able to utilize the latest cutting edge data to improve lives is a what technology is all about.