Context
Sport plays an important role in the well-being of every individual. In the context of a disability, this role is even more crucial for self-confidence and the development of autonomy, not to mention the factor of social integration.
The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games have called for a revolution in parasports. Beyond the event that successfully brought people together around para-athletes for two weeks, the focus must now shift to strengthening and promoting sports participation for people with disabilities at all levels. The chair IH2A at INSA Rennes (https://ih2a.insa-rennes.fr/) is collaborating with the Rennes wheelchair football team, which has highlighted a need for visual feedback tools from a training session or match taking into account information specific to each player. The internship proposed here will focus on a new use case: performance measurement in slalom. The goal will be to track the trajectory of a player who must slalom through a course with a ball and measure their performance in terms of trajectory and time, and potentially ball loss.
Objectives and Methodology
Initially, the intern will validate the trajectory data for a given course using a motion capture system, such as opto-electronic systems (V.g., Vicon, Qualisys). This will allow for an initial focus on performance measurement and data visualization. As far as the performance measurement is concerned, the intern will be assisted by a biomedical engineerer to provide relevant criteria.
Subsequently, the goal will be to successfully extract the ball’s position relative to the wheelchair. Since the ball cannot be equipped with sensors, this will require video analysis.
These first two steps will validate the concept for training sessions dedicated to this slalom exercise. However, it is not feasible to install such a motion capture system in a real training session. The number of players, their sometimes uncontrolled speed, and stray balls necessitate a more robust acquisition system.
Therefore, in a third step, it will be necessary to study replacing the motion capture system with video processing. This will involve creating a 3D model of the wheelchair and researching the implementation of pose estimation algorithms. We aim for a final satisfaction evaluation by the players of the wheelchair football team during the annual IH2A bootcamp in July 2026.
Candidate Profile
- Master in computer vision, intelligent systems, cognitive science, robotics or similar.
- Programming skills in Python and/or C++.
- Analytical mind, interest in working in scientific research laboratory.
- Interest in working with disabled people.
- Capacity to conduct work within an interdisciplinary team.
- Good written and spoken English. Knowledge of French is an asset.
Work Environment and Characteristics
- Location:
VAADER team, IETR laboratory – INSA Rennes
20 Avenue des Buttes de Coësmes
35700 Rennes – France - Duration: Between four and six months
- Start: Flexible start date, preferably in early 2026
- Stipend: According to applicable regulation
- Resources: Access to development machines and motion capture system. Regular meetings with supervisors and participation in scientific seminars
- Supervisor: Muriel Pressigout (IETR, VAADER team, Rennes)
- Application: Send your resume and a motivation letter to mpressig@insa-rennes.fr. Deadline: 30.11.2025
