The Bioengineering and Movement Neuromechanics Laboratory has the following research projects underway in the area of applications to sports:
Analysis of advanced technologies, data mining for the quantitative monitoring and training characterization in amateur football players
AI-driven technology intelligence: SPORTHEALTH
Football is one of the most practiced and followed sports in the world. However, the characterization of the footballers in terms of training and quantitative monitoring is mainly focused on professional players, while amateurs are less investigated and tested. The lack of money for good instrumentation and the time to be tested are the main factors that don’t contribute to the characterization of amateur players. We are currently developing low-cost solutions based on smartphones and machine learning algorithms to give tools that can be applied in the field, to investigate both performance and risk of injury of amateur footballers.
Post-doctoral researcher: Beatrice De Lazzari
Project coordinators: Giuseppe Vannozzi; Valentina Camomilla
In collaboration with 
Financed by 
RACE – Harmony between horse and rider
Research aimed at characterizing the harmony between horse and rider by instrumental validation in the laboratory of inertial and force/pressure sensors; definition of test protocols and implementation of algorithms for segmentation of different equestrian locomotion and extraction of performance parameters or useful for characterization of injury risk; testing of integrated biomechanical measurement systems directly in the equestrian field.
Principal Investigator: Valentina Camomilla
In collaboration with: Celeste Wilkins
Financed by: 
Hammer throw technique analysis and training
The pursuit of performance in the hammer throw is given not only by the development of athletic ability but also by the improvement of technique. However, the whole movement has not yet been fully understood. Some elements of the initial phases of throwing have not been investigated, and the correlations between different elements are also not entirely clear. Using the force platform, inertial sensors and video analysis we are trying to fill these gaps and provide tools for hammer throwing training, such as the use of hammers of different weights and lengths.
Doctoral researcher: Gian Mario Castaldi
Supervisors: Valentina Camomilla, Andrea Macaluso
Prevention and Return To Sport after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury: Development and Testing of an Ecological Functional Assessment Protocol with Wearable Inertial Sensors
Rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is considered among the most critical injuries in sports practice, accounting for about 50% of total knee ligament injuries. Surgical intervention is often required to restore mechanical stability. After the surgery, the athlete starts a long rehabilitation phase with the aim to return to sport (RTS) without any restriction. However, after ACL tear, alterations in the communication between the joint (bones, muscles, tendons, and joint capsule) and the central nervous system occur, significantly affecting the movement neuromechanics. Sport-specific movement analysis, aiming at identifying risk-related parameters and indicators of knee stability, is crucial both in a preventive perspective and during rehabilitation/RTS. Despite the large number of studies on the topic, there is still no consensus when considering tests and/or criteria/thresholds to minimize risks in RTS.
In this perspective, the goal of this project is to develop a field-based protocol for the quantification of knee stability – focused on a quantitative analysis of sport-specific task – through the application of wearable inertial sensors.
Doctoral Researcher: Andrea Baldazzi
Supervisor: Elena Bergamini
Rotational knee instability in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears with associated peripheral lesions
Rotational knee instability in ACL tears is the focus of several laboratory studies, while a few evidence is available concerning clinical and biomechanical assessment of the multiplanar knee instability, especially considering the role of associated meniscal tears. The main aim of the present project is to understand the role of meniscal tears associated with ACL tears in affecting arthrometric measurements in vivo, gait and running biomechanics.
Doctoral Researcher: William Tower
Supervisors: Andrea Macaluso, Elena Bergamini