SAP SE recently announced a new innovation project with team AkzoNobel to equip all crew members during the 2017–18 edition of the Volvo Ocean Race with biometric sensors. AkzoNobel enlisted SAP to help team AkzoNobel better prepare for the race and ensure sailors are at optimum health levels and achieve their best performance. Using the edge computing for the Internet of Things (IoT) provided by the SAP® Leonardo IoT Edge technology, the project enables team AkzoNobel to track the sailors’ fitness levels and degree of exhaustion during racing, so that they can optimize their performance based on the data collected.
“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 allows us to get the best performance from the crew,” said Simeon Tienpont, team AkzoNobel’s skipper. “These technological innovations will help push the boundaries of our sport and can finally make the difference.”
Biometric Data
As physical and mental exhaustion pose the biggest threats to crews during the eight-month race, SAP has equipped five crew members of the team AkzoNobel with sensors to capture biometric data. Worn 24×7 during the race, the data collected by the sensors is expected to provide valuable insights into aspects like fatigue, exhaustion, reaction to weather conditions and stress levels. In addition, the biometric edge solution – which has access to the data recorded on board the team’s Volvo Ocean 65 race boat – will help to interpret the biometric measurement data. For the first time, biometric data and real-time analysis can be provided during the entire race and will give team AkzoNobel unprecedented insight into the crew’s fitness and recovery data. The output will be presented in a specifically designed user interface for the skipper during the race.
SAP Leonardo IoT Edge and SAP Leonardo IoT Foundation Deployed at Sea and on Shore
A part of the SAP Leonardo digital innovation system, SAP Leonardo IoT Edge is being used to capture the biometric data of the crew at sea. IoT-edge computing describes the capability of processing, storing and analyzing sensor data without an Internet or other data connection. Once the boats arrive at each of the 12 stopovers, predictive and machine learning analytics are run on SAP Cloud Platform using SAP Leonardo IoT Foundation. Based on the data collected at sea, the predictive analytics results provided to the crew will help team AkzoNobel’s skipper prepare for the next leg of the race.
“This is an excellent example of how connecting people, processes and things with leading-edge digital technology can improve performance,” said Dr. Tanja Rueckert, president, IoT & Digital Supply Chain, SAP. “The physical condition and mental resilience of crew members are important factors in winning or losing. SAP Leonardo IoT Edge helps team AkzoNobel gain insight into the crew’s physical condition to make the right decisions and compete at their best.”
