SPECIAL PROJECT 2004-2005

Physical Intelligence Initiative

Technology

At MIT, innovative technology has a potentially powerful role to play in helping students explore and understand the wide range of benefits that physical activity, physical experiences and physical intelligence can afford. Insightful use of technology in PE offers students a range of immediate feedback options. Visual, tactile, auditory feedback of normally subtle aspects of movement and technique, offers students a means of engagement–especially those less athletically inclined. In turn, technology allows students to bring information from the court, field and gym into the lab, with the potential to link physical activity/experience to science and engineering.

Use of technology in the physical intelligence initiative builds from the DAPER high-speed video project funded through the d’Arbeloff Fund for Excellence in Education. The use of a highly portable high-speed video system in PE offerings has provided many students an engaging means of fulfilling this institute requirement. Other feedback devices such as motion capture systems, force platforms, etc. broaden the range of possibilities.