Alex Amini wins EU Young Scientist of the Year award 2011
Alex's project which has won the EU Young Scientist of the Year award 2011 in Helsinki uses sensors to identify and analyse various types of tennis shots won the 2010 BT Young Scientists & Technology Exhibition. Alexander developed a computerised movement sensor system, which tracks arm and racket movement in an effort to develop the perfect swing.
The programme, which has 30,000 lines of algorithmic code, learns how a player performs all the major racquet swings and then automatically identifies any shot the player hits. Using sensors attached to the arm, leg and chest, it detects patterns and subtle variations in movement and can differentiate between even the most closely related strokes. Technology already exists to measure the speed of three tennis shots taken by a player, but Alexander's system can measure 13. And with the technology also useful in other fields, such as in the field of medicine in improving movement after an injury, the opportunities for Alexander and his system are endless.
The European Union (EU) Contest for Young Scientists is an initiative of the European Commission. The Contest is the annual showcase of the best of European student scientific achievement. The competition has three winners – Alexander is joined by winners from Lithuania and Switzerland - each winning €7,500. Alexander was also awarded a place at the London International Youth Science Fair and The Stockholm International Youth Science Award.
