For many years, the main focus of professional sailors has been weather and wind patterns, as well as route. Sailing Team Germany, for example, partnered with SAP to garner advanced sailing analytics in preparation for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
But what about the sailors themselves? Team AkzoNobel used SAP SE’s biometric sensors at the Volvo Open Race to optimize each individual’s performance by tracking fitness levels.
By using edge computing provided by SAP Leonardo IoT (Internet of Things) Edge technology, the Dutch team is gaining insight into mental and physical fatigue. Endurance is important as the eight-month race consists of 11 legs, some of which span up to 7,600 nautical miles.
“So far, aspects like the weather and the ideal route used to be the main focus areas. The technology provided by SAP gives us a tool that helps us to get the best performance from the crew,” Simeon Tienpont, Team AkzoNobel’s skipper, said in a statement. “These technological innovations will help push the boundaries of our sport and can finally make the difference.”
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The partnership between AkzoNobel and SAP is part of a bigger project which hopes to help these athletes optimize performance. It marks the inaugural use of the system within professional sailing.
Sensors will be worn at all times during the race so that all nine crew members on board the race yacht can provide constant feedback based on each person’s individual needs.
SAP Africa’s Head of Innovation, Adriana Marais, explained in a statement why IoT analytics can help in any industry: “Biometric data is transforming the way we do things, from the world of international yacht racing, to the remote delivery of healthcare services in rural areas, to monitoring the health of astronauts in the International Space Station. This project shows how data acquired by connected sensors, coupled with machine learning and predictive analytics, can enable even the largely analogue world of international yacht racing to run digital.”
