Artificial Intelligence to Predict Sports Injuries

nakhla writes "MSNBC.com is running a story on how an Italian soccer team is using artificial intelligence to predict sports injuries. The team is working with Computer Associates to develop neural network technology that can be combined with daily tests of the athletes to determine patterns which occur right before a player gets injured. Of course, one has to assume that it wouldn't be able to predict a player getting kicked in the head in the middle of the game, resulting in a concussion." I was wondering how to tie a World Cup story into Slashdot. Congratulations to Senegal.

Comments

Problem?

[qslack]

What if the computer predicted that Michael Jordan would break his leg if he played one more game? It is certainly not 100% correct, so what would happen? Would the coach let him play and take the chance, or would they listen to the computer? What if they didn't heed the computer's warning and MJ broke his leg? Would he have grounds to sue?

Technology is supposed to solve problems, not create them. :)

Americans and soccer

[Ryne]

an Italian soccer team

ah gawd, AC Milan is one of the most famous teams in the world, maybe the name could be included in the article, not just an Italian soccer team.

Re:Americans and soccer

[martissimo]

i'm guessing that at least 9 out of 10 non-football fans wouldn't have a clue who AC Milan is. Almost anyone can recognize the meaning of "an Italian soccer team"

besides what is intersting about this article is not the team itself, its the way they are using the technology to attempt to predict future injuries.

PS wtg Senegal, go Azul!!!

Artificial intelligence and sports

[BluedemonX]

I thought artificial intelligence as it relates to sports is either

1. Grade inflation so that the jocks won't miss the big game for the state championships

OR

2. Jocks buying term papers on the internet or beating up the liberal arts students to get them to do it for them so that they don't get considered unable to play by the NCAA and therefore miss the upcoming national championships.

funny semantics

[datastew]

genies that could warn of a rotor cuff about to explode in the new hot prospect's shoulder.[emphasis mine]

Unless their "new hot prospect" is a helicopter, I think they mean rotator cuff.

preventative medicine

[happyclam]

One thing that everyone seems to be missing is that being able to predict injuries implies the ability to prevent them. Not through inaction but rather through preventative medicine such as physical therapy to strengthen certain muscles around a particularly dodgy ligament or something.

Such AI would also be useful in correcting improper training--if someone is slowly degrading their ankle/rotator cuff/lower vertebrae/what have you by doing something slightly wrong, such tests and analysis could predict the injury before it happens, allowing the coach/trainer to stop the athlete from doing that bad thing any more.

Nah

[Em Emalb]

As someone who has (believe it or not) played sports his whole life (baseball, basketball, football, basically any sport except soccer cause eye foot coordination ain't my bag) I don't think this will work. Sports are just too damned random. Even as the example in the article showed, ole Renando or what ever the hell his name is, blew out his knee on the treadmill. So, what happens when you get 9 fielders and a runner or two on the field and the guy running to first tries to avoid the tag and rolls his ankle severely, or hits a foul ball off his leg, lands on another players foot going for a rebound, gets blind-sided by a 300+lb lineman, etc? This may work in the example listed about treadmills, but will not work in the actual field of play. So, the only real tie-in to sports here is that this soccer (ok, ok, futbol) team has a multi-million dollar investment that was hurt in a mundane activity (treadmill running) and wanted to make sure it didn't happen again. Until it can predict when a player will be hurt before he is in the field of play, come talk to me.

Semi-OT now:

What's up with the silly little cards used in soccer? (futbol) It's rather silly. How did it develop? DO people really care? Oh no, I got a piece of plastic pulled out on me, I'm so scared. Yes, I know that it is serious when someone gets red-carded, but the actual act of being penalized is lame as hell. Thoughts? What would be a better system? Everytime a foul is committed the opposing player who was injured gets to power-slam the offender? Sounds good to me. Would make soccer more fun to watch ;-) (tongue in cheek, mods, so pull that ruffle back out of your panties :)

Source Code Excerpt

[apg]

Here's a portion of the AI code that was leaked:

if (player.runWith == "scissors") {
player.injury.type = "puncture wound";
}
else if (player.christmasGift = "Red Rider BB Gun") {
alert("You'll shoot your eye out.");
}