Method and apparatus for providing personalised audio-visual instruction

Abstract

A method of and apparatus ( 10 ) for providing a personalized audio-visual instructional aid for assisting a person ( 11 ) to emulate preferred positions and/or movements in undertaking an activity by capturing position and/or movement data of the person ( 11 ) or an object associated with and controlled by the person undertaking the activity using position and/or movement sensing devices such as MEMS sensors ( 13 ) on the person ( 11 ) or object and using a computer ( 16 ) to analyze and compare the captured data with pre-stored data relating to preferred positions and/or movement in undertaking the activity and generating a visual presentation ( 19 ) based on the differences between the captured position and/or movement of the person or object and the preferred positions and/or movement and adding to the generated visual presentation, audio instructional comments relating to the differences.

1 . A method of providing a personalized audio-visual instructional aid for assisting a person to emulate preferred positions and/or movements in undertaking an activity, said method including the steps of capturing position and/or movement data of said person or part of said person or an object associated with and controlled by said person whilst said person undertakes said activity using position and/or movement sensing means attached to or worn by said person or attached to said object, analyzing and comparing said captured data with pre-stored data relating to a preferred positions and/or movement in undertaking said activity, generating a visual presentation based on the differences between the captured position and/or movement of said person or object and said preferred positions and/or movement and adding to said generated visual presentation, audio instructional comments relating to said differences to assist a person to emulate said preferred positions and/or movement. 
   
   
       2 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said captured data comprises coordinate data in at least two axes. 
   
   
       3 . A method as claimed in  claim 2  wherein said captured data additionally comprises orientation data. 
   
   
       4 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , further including the step of locally analyzing said data against said prestored data and locally presenting said audio-visual aid for viewing by said person. 
   
   
       5 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , further including the step of wirelessly transmitting the captured data to a remote location at which the audio-visual instructional aid is prepared. 
   
   
       6 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , further including the step of transmitting said audio visual presentation over a communications networks for display on a display screen for direct viewing by the person undergoing instruction. 
   
   
       7 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , further including the step of storing said captured data in a computer database for comparison with or analysis against prestored data of the preferred positions and/or movements. 
   
   
       8 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , further including the step of prestoring or generating said audio instructional comments in a database. 
   
   
       9 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , further including the step of adding selected comments from the prestored or generated comments to said visual display in accordance with the comparison and analysis between the captured data and prestored data. 
   
   
       10 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  and including the step of downloading the audio-visual presentation to a storage device for subsequent viewing. 
   
   
       11 . A method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said data is captured using sensors which incorporate one or more of miniature gyroscopes, accelerometers, magnetometers, GPS or DGPS sensors. 
   
   
       12 . A method as claimed in  claim 11  wherein said sensors comprise Micro-Electro-mechanical System (MEMS) sensors. 
   
   
       13 . A method as claimed in  claim 11 , further including the step of transmitting said captured data wirelessly from said sensors for analysis and comparison. 
   
   
       14 . Apparatus for providing a personalized audio-visual instructional aid for assisting a person to emulate a preferred movement during an activity, said apparatus including position and/or movement sensing means adapted to be attached to or worn by said person or part of said person or attached to an object associated with and controlled by said person for capturing position and/or movement data of said person or object whilst said person undertakes said activity, means for analyzing and comparing said captured t data with pre-stored data relating to preferred positions and/or movement in undertaking said activity, means for generating a visual presentation based on the differences between the captured positions and/or movement of said person or object and said preferred positions and/or movements, and means for adding to said generated visual presentation, audio instructional comments relating to said differences to assist a person to emulate said preferred positions and/or movements. 
   
   
       15 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 14  wherein said sensing means comprise sensors which include miniature gyroscope and/or accelerometers. 
   
   
       16 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 15  wherein said sensors comprise one or more of MEMS sensors, sensor attached to or incorporated in clothing to be worn by said person, magnetometers, GPS and DGPS sensors. 
   
   
       17 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 15 , further including means for wirelessly transmitting data directly or indirectly from said sensors to a remote location for said analyzing and comparison. 
   
   
       18 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein said analyzing and comparison means comprises a computer having a database, said database having pre-stored visual image data representative of said preferred positions and/or movement and wherein said database is adapted to store said captured data for comparison with said pre-stored data. 
   
   
       19 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 18  wherein said database further includes prestored audio instructional comments or is adapted to generate instructional comments for addition to said visual presentation. 
   
   
       20 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 18 , wherein said computer includes processing means comprising said means for generating said visual presentation based on the analysis and comparison between said stored data of the preferred positions or movement and captured data and wherein said processing means is adapted to add to said visual presentation, audio instructional comments based on said analysis and comparison of said data. 
   
   
       21 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 18  and including means for transmitting said audio-visual presentation for display on a display screen or downloading to a storage device. 
   
   
       22 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 18 , further including means for sensing bio-mechanical data of said person undertaking said activity and means for incorporating said data in said audio-visual aid. 
   
   
       23 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 18 , further including intermediate transceiver means adapted to communicate via a communication link with said computer and receive said captured data from said sensing means to convey said data to said computer for said analysis and comparison with said prestored data and receive from said computer said audio visual presentation for display to said person. 
   
   
       24 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 23  wherein said transceiver includes a processor and modem or other signal conversion means to permit communication with said computer over said communication link. 
   
   
       25 . A method for providing a personalized audio-visual instructional aid for assisting a person to emulate preferred actions in undertaking an activity in relation to an object controlled by said person, said method including the steps of capturing position and/or movement data of said object whilst said person undertakes said activity using position and/or movement sensing means on said object, analyzing and comparing said captured data with data of preferred positions and/or movements in relation to said activity, generating a visual presentation based on the differences between the captured positions and/or movements of said object and said preferred positions and/or movements and adding to said generated visual presentation, audio instructional comments relating to said differences to assist a person to emulate said preferred actions in said activity.