Analysis of GPS and UWB positioning system for athlete tracking

Abstract

Abstract In recent years, wearable performance monitoring systems have become increasingly popular in competitive sports. Wearable devices can provide vital information including distance covered, velocity, change of direction, and acceleration, which can be used to improve athlete performance and prevent injuries. Tracking technology that monitors the movement of an athlete is an important element of sport wearable devices. For tracking, the cheapest option is to use global positioning system (GPS) data however, their large margins of error are a major concern in many sports. Consequently, indoor positioning systems (IPS) have become popular in sports in recent years where the ultra-wideband (UWB) positioning sensor is now being used for tracking. IPS promises much higher accuracy, but unlike GPS, it requires a longer set-up time and its costs are significantly more. In this research, we investigate the suitability of the UWB-based localisation technique for wearable sports performance monitoring systems. We implemented a hardware set-up for both positioning sensors, UWB and the GPS-based (both 10\xa0\u200bHz and 1\xa0\u200bHz) localisation systems, and then monitored their accuracy in 2D and 3D side-by-side for the sport of tennis. Our gathered data shows a major drawback in the UWB-based localisation system. To address this major drawback we introduce an artificial intelligent model, which shows some promising results.