Project Atlas: an Encoder Application for Apple Watch

Abstract

One of the reasons that led me to choose this degree was the will to solve problems by myself. I may find something wrong, or just something I thought that could be improved and I didn’t want to wait for anybody to solve it. During these past years I start lifting weights. I love it and when I love something I want to learn more about it. During this learning I found that some training systems, like the Conjugate System, use the bar speed as a variable during the execution of a lift. However, I didn’t have a way to measure it. The available hardware in the market is heavy and expensive. I had the idea that this could be achieved using the built-in accelerometer of a much lighter and cheaper wearable. With this idea, I started this project: An Apple Watch application to measure the speed on a weight lifting lift. During the development I had to learn how to deal with sensors, learn complex algorithms to filter data, ditch part of the work because the results were not what I expected, and design a real application to solve a problem I found in my everyday life.