A group of students from the Master Programme in Medical Informatics had the opportunity to try out various technologies and equipment for monitoring health data applied to soccer.
It’s not every day that one visits a football stadium and its backstage areas — especially to explore advanced technologies that enhance the benefits of training. A group of students from the Master’s in Medical Informatics, jointly offered by the Faculty of Medicine (FMUP) and the Faculty of Sciences (FCUP) of the University of Porto, visited, last Friday, November 21, the facilities of Associação Desportiva Sanjoanense Futebol SAD to try out and learn about sophisticated systems for telemonitoring health data.
The visit took place within the scope of the Curricular Unit Telemedicine and e-Health, taught by FCUP professor Miguel Coimbra.
At AD Sanjoanense’s facilities, the students got to know the training grounds and the different technologies used to monitor players. For example, GPS-tracking devices that collect biometric and performance data during training sessions and matches. The students also tried heart-rate monitoring devices and equipment available in the gym, such as Veo — a jump-analysis platform — and Vitruve — a bar-speed measurement system.
The purpose of this visit, guided by physical trainer Diogo Rodrigues, was to show students the type of information provided by these technologies and how it can be used to support and improve the training process.
About the Master’s in Medical Informatics
The Master’s in Medical Informatics brings together professors and researchers from the Faculties of Sciences and Medicine to teach theoretical aspects of information sciences, specifically those related to understanding biomedical data, information, and knowledge — along with the practical application of information technologies in healthcare systems.
The program is specifically designed both for computer engineers or computer scientists and for physicians, nurses, radiology technicians, and other professionals in the fields of Health or Informatics.