SYDNEY Swans veteran Ryan O'Keefe could have been preparing to step into his own video game or take part in a new animation series, judging by his attire at training this week.
Instead, he was trialing a state-of-the-art biomechanical technology suit which tracks movement via a number of motion sensors in a world-first study for use in skill development.
O'Keefe's outfit is known as a MVN Biomech 3D kinematic measurement suit, using technology which is often used for gaming and animation and generates data from the attached sensors.
"We got him to do a few kicks and measured which ones were successful and which weren't and then we get a lot of data from that to try to find the differences in his body," Swans strength coach Damien Austin told the club's website.
"There are over a dozen sensors placed on different parts of the body and they are very strategic in where they're measured.
"That data is then sent to the laptop where we can see a 3D image of Ryan in an animated form.
"With that we can add an AFL player or any sort of vision or background and there are so many different things that you can do with that information."
This week's trial focused specifically on kicking technique, with O'Keefe running through a series of shots on goal from a number of angles and distances.
Austin is hopeful the Swans will also be able to use the technology to analyse and improve a variety of skill areas.
"We're just looking at kicking at this point, but it could be used to improve gait analysis, for injuries or for any sort of running movement," he said.
"The accelerometers measure space and time and the g-forces that are applied through different parts of the body.
"We can then grab that data and find out where the forces are applied and whether there are any differences or areas we need to correct."
Austin added that the Swans' use of the kinematic suit was not only a first for the AFL, but believed it is also a first for Australian sport.
"It's something very new and I don't think there has been any sport that has tried it too much in Australia, if at all," Austin said.
"We think it's fairly new and is something that can give us some inside data.
"At this point it's just a bit of a trial and we haven't seen any other club use it in Australia or know of any clubs in America, so it will be a bit of a first and we'll see what we can get out of it."
